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Pendrae and Campbell eventually arrived at Djuma Bush
Lodge during a very wet and rainy period in 1996. Campbell's mechanical
skills came in very handy as the vehicles were wearing through brake
pads at such a rate partly due to the muddy conditions. There were many
other complications caused by the rain, like the logistics of getting
supplies and guests into the lodge. We went through a two-week period
when supplies had to be flown in from Hoedspruit airstrip, as the access
roads were almost nonexistent. Imagine the green grocer, butcher and
bottle store-owner standing in line at the runway to load up the plane!
Guests that were planning on driving in had to hop on a plane in Nelspruit,
Skukuza or Phalaborwa and fly into the lodge. Then of course, the roads
within the reserve were barely passable, which left us with a total
of about 7km to take our visitors around. Thank goodness the animals
seemed to sympathize with our plight and they too stayed close to the
roads and these slightly higher drier areas. We got stuck so many times;
often more than once on each drive. The guests, ranger and tracker would
all jump out with no hesitation and get working. Usually the vehicle
would be hoisted up onto a highlift jack, branches and tree trunks would
fill the muddy ruts and then the vehicle would be driven off the jack
until the ground firmed up… guests in tow on foot! We often had
to call in the help of other vehicles and a tractor. On one occasion
as night was approaching, 4 vehicles and a tractor all got stuck trying
to pull out a game drive car, and we had to walk our guests about 1km
through the dark to the bakkie (pick-up truck) to get them safely back
to Bush Lodge. The empty sundowner cooler box they were carrying testified
that they were all in good spirits and loved the adventure of the evening.
As Bush Lodge became busier and we faced a shortage of accommodation,
especially when we needed space for a pilot or tour guide, we decided
to erect a tent in "the back yard". This was an army style
roomy thing, on top of a cement slab that had been thrown to make the
base even. On the one side we made an outdoor shower, loo and basin
with a shoulder height cement wall for privacy. The tent was also used
as an extra storage facility and staff accommodation when not filled
by pilots or guides. At one stage after a very busy weekend, we had
a couple that wanted to stay an additional night, but being fully occupied,
we could not assist them. We had started looking around to get them
somewhere to stay for the night, when the wife said she had noticed
a tent behind the screening fence. We explained what the tent was used
for and did not think it was suitable to put paying guests in, but she
insisted on seeing it. Off we went expecting them to decline the meager
shelter. Needless to say they loved it and stayed an extra 2 nights!
This got us thinking, and as soon as we had a bit of money to spare,
we started building "No. 7" at Bush Lodge. Seeing as there
was already a rectangular cement slab in place, it made economical sense
to put a huge thatch roof on top, including the bathroom and then fill
in the spaces with walls. The pitch of the roof was awesome and with
some clever unusual triangular shaped windows, it started looking quite
grand. We also had some copper sheeting from an old chimney that Patrick
Shabangu, our maintenance man, fashioned into some stunning light fittings.
We also finished off the floor with a green oxide screed and some spiral
patterns, and added a triangular patio off into the dry riverbed to
the front. Just as the paint was drying Charmian in the office announced
that 2 days later there would be guests filling the room and suggested
some quick finishing touches needed to be made before then. So Pendrae
and I set about pestering Campbell and Jurie for some money to put in
a designer instant garden at the entrance. No easy feat I may add, as
any spare cash always seemed more important to them as far as tools
and vehicles went. However, we managed to needle R1000, 00 from the
kitty and came back from Eden Nursery, Klaserie, laden with fever trees,
huge strelitzias, wild irises, agapanthus etc. In went the rhino and
elephant manure and the plants, ornamental logs etc. Things looked all
set for the following day when the guests would arrive. As usual, nothing
works that smoothly out here! That night an elephant moved into camp
and silently munched his way through the carefully laid out herbaceous
border. Some Italian guests who were in No.3 had watched and filmed
the whole thing from their bathroom window and had not thought about
alerting management to "the problem". As you can imagine,
these guests had a fantastic experience, while Pendrae and I went off
and replaced the missing garden that day. Our next budget requirement
was an electrified strand to keep the elephants out of the garden. Campbell
and Jurie were horrified at the cost, but quickly made the funds available
when they realized that us girls were not going to let budget restraints
or elephants stop us buying plants.
By this stage, Jurie and I had cast our eye over at "Gowrie Camp"
where Vuyatela stands today. It was a modest camp comprising of 6 thatched
rondawels and an L-shaped main building built during the 1950's in the
old hunting days. The view over the terraced lawns onto Gowrie dam was
spectacular. By now the Ludin and Moolman families were visiting very
seldom, and we saw huge potential in commercializing another 10 beds.
We saw a niche in the market for a self-catered lodge that would appeal
to South Africans. There has always been a stigma attached to the private
reserves being too costly for locals, and by running a self-catering
establishment with fewer staff we were able to overcome this factor.
We had to endure another few months of builders and artisans performing
a facelift on the camp and we were ready to roll. Dixon Mkanzi was the
perfect person to run the show, with Aubrey Ngubane as his tracker.
Jurie and I had been visiting Gowrie since 1987, when Piet Moolman and
Tilman Ludin bought the farm. Back then it was separated from the Sabi
Sand and the Kruger National Park with fences and was used primarily
for hunting. The first time we came to Gowrie farm, I remember the bush
being so think and impenetrable with little sign of animals anywhere.
We thought Piet and Tilman had bought a ridiculous piece of bush compared
to the established Bush Lodge section a bit to the south. In years to
come we realized what a smart investment the purchase had been. Nevertheless,
some extensive bush clearing was done and small herds of nyala, wildebeest
and zebra were introduced. A few years later the fences between the
Kruger National Park and the Sabi Sand Wildtuin were removed and the
sparse game became abundant. A few years later Buffelshoek land also
dropped their fences with Gowrie, and the SSW extended up to the Manyeleti
Game Reserve.
For years Jurie and I had been walking up and down the drainage line
leading to Gowrie dam and we started imagining our dream lodge nestled
between the thick riverine growth. Even when Gowrie Camp was up and
running we wondered if it would be possible to build while we had guests
on the premises. Naturally it would be important get around the noise
factor that would be uncomfortable for guests looking for peace and
solitude in their bush getaway. A short few years later the dreams became
reality when the concept of "Vuyatela" was born.
Gowrie Camp had only been operating for about 2 years, when our neighbours
to the north at Buffelshoek approached us with a business idea. The
timing was just right, as we had been thinking about an existing camp
called Galago that stood empty for long periods and only utilized by
the families of the owners. Galago was (and is still) a U-shaped building
with a central courtyard/braai area and swimming pool looking out over
a vast grassy plain. Djuma was at the ready to jump in with renovation
and expansion plans. We were also much relieved that we could shift
our self catering business from Gowrie Camp to Galago Lodge and to top
it all, start building our dream lodge without inconveniencing our guests.
Our lives were changing with more staff being employed and Pendrae and
Campbell assisting in the burden of the day-to-day lodge operation and
decisions that had to be made. By now we had offered them a profit share
in the business just to entice them to stay with us as long as possible.
I don't think they realized that we were years away from showing any
profit, but they were unavoidably slowly letting the Djuma spirit seep
into their veins. If we thought we had covered a lot of ground in these
few short years, we were in for a huge surprise as to what we were about
to embark upon in the months to come.
Pippa Moolman
Join us next month for the trials and tribulations surrounding the development
of Vuyatela.
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