Spa offers relaxing time out with tours to nearby Soweto a special treat
Surrounded by tall trees with leaves rustling a soothing welcome, the Johannesburg spa seems the perfect place to relax and unwind — and the train whizzing past metres from the window does not detract from the experience, especially if you have not watched trains for years.
Molobane Estate Lodge and Spa, in Zuurbekom on the West Rand — about 35 minutes’ drive from Johannesburg, and less than 15 minutes from Soweto — is one of the best-kept secrets among those in the competitive business world who retreat there to recover.
The owner, Melita Molobane Mohlala, has had a life as interesting and diverse as the retreat she developed on a small stretch of bushveld. She is a former teacher, a musician who performs for the love of music and a construction mogul.
The greater Westonaria District Municipality is dotted with smallholdings that used to be larger farms, many of them now owned by the rich and powerful in the black elite, who snatched them up when the previous owners sold and fled in 1994.
“Almost all the previous owners were whites who sold their land for very little. I first bought a 2ha piece of land for only R40,000 in 1995, and at the time, I was not even sure what I would use it for,” says Mohlala.
“My decision was, however, made simple by the fact that my church, the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, is within walking distance from here.
“But then, more wealthy black people got to know about this area, and they also moved in and bought land, pushing the prices up over the years. I have since bought more neighbouring plots, and now my land is 6ha.
“I started to build this place in 2010 before the Soccer World Cup. Being in construction myself, everything you see here, I built,” Mohlala says.
She also owns resorts in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
Molobane Estate Lodge and Spa has all the amenities for a relaxing stay — a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, spa, lapa and six chalets.
A standard room costs R500 per night, and executive rooms are available at R1,200 a night.
The resort has a conference centre that can accommodate up to 200 delegates. Other amenities include a dining hall and a kitchen available for hire for events such as weddings and company functions.
The spacious garden area with well-manicured lawns can be used for music concerts.
“Even though we started building this place in 2010, it is only now that we are concentrating on marketing Molobane Resort Lodge and Spa, with discussions going on with [the] Virgin Active group of gyms to try and get them to operate one of their franchises from here. We have so many guests and residents who need a gym facility here,” Mohlala says.
“This place is also very close to other tourist attractions in Soweto — the famous Vilakazi Street is only a few minutes’ drive from here.
“When tourists visit any country, they like to go to where ordinary people live. With Soweto and other townships such as Bekkersdal on our doorstep, we are well-situated to host tourists, with the added advantage that we have created a rural atmosphere that is not that far from the big city.”
The lodge provides tours of local townships for its guests.
“Molobane Resort Lodge and Spa is also safe as we have security 24 hours a day, complete with cameras that can reach as far as a kilometre away, to make sure that our clients have a relaxing retreat here,” says the resort’s operations manager, Terry Mokoena.
Mokoena organised a belated Valentine Day’s event, dubbed Valentine Garden Picnic, on February 19, with couples that were promised an afternoon of relaxation on the day.
Sometimes the owner provides the entertainment for lucky visitors. Mohlala and her group, Mel Legends, released their debut album, Modimo o ratile Africa (God Has Fallen In Love With Africa), in 2010. She says it was the toast of visiting teams during the World Cup.
“I have always been a musician, and my group won a competition to be the main attraction at fan parks during the World Cup, as well as welcoming teams to SA,” she says.
“We were particularly popular with the Mexican and the Dutch teams, who bought our album. It is so great to know that someone in Holland and Mexico has Modimo o ratile Africa.
“I sometimes entertain guests myself here, if I am not busy on construction sites all over the country.”
Mohlala, who has a BA honours in education, spent six years teaching and was also an education specialist at the Department of Education.
She founded Kopano Creative Concepts in 2001, a construction company active in the public and private sectors.
It won several awards including the Govan Mbeki National Award in 2015, presented by Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
“Even though I am a successful businesswoman in the hospitality and construction sectors, music will always be part of me. I would not think twice if the opportunity presented itself to entertain guests with our music that is mainly traditional gospel with a touch of Tswana sounds that in turn is influenced by mbaqanga sounds of Mahotella Queens,” she says.
I SOMETIMES ENTERTAIN GUESTS IF I AM NOT BUSY ON CONSTRUCTION SITES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY