Quips put Dr P party in the mood
● With the parking lot brimming with fancy wheels including a couple of Porsches and a Ferrari, the unveiling of the Dr P Aesthetic Centre last Saturday evening was never going to be a run-of-the-mill launch.
But then, when the Dr P in question is the wife of a billionaire with a penchant for lavish parties, this should come as no surprise.
Climbing out of a golf cart which whisked us from our cars, I pick up a flute of the finest French bubbles as I enter a marquee flanking the entrance of The Park, the venue perched atop the swanky Hyde Park Corner shopping centre in Joburg.
One of the first people I greet is a familiar face: Augustine Masilela-Chuene, who those with long memories will remember as a Miss South Africa runner-up back in 1992 and who these days runs a thriving wedding and events planning business. Augustine is wearing an eyecatching printed shift while her friend, Vuyo Mvinjelwa, is kitted up in West African prints. All around us guests are dressed up in their finery, a nod to the invite’s formal dress code.
Catching a breather from the perfumed air, I step outside in time to spot the arrival of the lady of the hour, Dr Portia Gumede, in the company of her business tycoon husband, Robert, and their brood: Keni, 6, Natana, 5, and Matana, 4.
Then it’s into the venue for a sitdown dinner, the room fashioned into an enchanted garden with swags of gold-foiled eucalyptus leaves with orchids, hydrangeas and roses — inspired by the whiteand-gold interior of the Dr P centre, says Gavin Rajah, who handles all the Gumedes’ events when he’s not designing opulent gowns.
Seated in prime position, my tablemates include a couple of women from the beauty trade who are in awe of it all, with one telling me that they’re used to going to salon launches where all they’re served are samoosas.
Also joining our table are Gerry and Kerry Elsdon and those two ministerial wives who are regulars on the social circuit: Thembeka Ngcobo, the gorgeous wife of Police Minister Bheki Cele, and Norma Gigaba, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba’s better half.
“Now don’t say anything nasty,” jokes Norma as she sits down next to me, looking super stylish in a black sequinned shopbought cocktail gown. Thembeka is looking equally chic in her designer of choice, Orapeleng Modutle.
Official proceedings are opened by former radio host Redi Tlhabi (who later tells me she scored a bargain with her green gown — she paid only R1 200 for it in a sale at a Sandton boutique a couple of years ago), and then Gumede family friend Edna Molewa, our minister of environmental affairs, gets up to say a few words.
I’d been expecting the minister to deliver one of those dry speeches politicians excel at but Edna gets us giggling with her quips, informing us that she’s a BBT (Born Before Technology), that’s why she’s not on
Twitter, and praising Portia for opening a centre catering to African women with their more voluptuous behinds or ATMs (Africa Trademarks).
Portia leaves us inspired, with the medical doctor telling us of her journey to create the centre (she recently brushed up her skills by studying at the esteemed Oculo-Facial Aesthetic Academy, part of the King’s College medical school in London) while Robert brings a tear to the eye as he tells of his love for his wife, saying: “She is not one to steal the limelight. Baby, I am happy to be under your light.”
You’ll want to know more about the centre, and with Portia having scoured the globe for the best treatments and honing her skills in aesthetic medicine, this is a hi-tech offering of world-class skincare treatments, from Botox fillers to intravenous drips, with Robert pointing out that the costs are a steal compared to what similar outfits charge overseas.
Entertainment comes in the form of the African Tenors and Mafikizolo, while our meal matches the luxurious décor.
Think seared chilli and black sesame salmon and sashimi starter, a refreshing pineapple, orange and ginger foam palate cleanser, and a choice of either melt-inyour-mouth beef fillet with red wine and port reduction, or parmesan-crumbed chicken breasts stuffed with mushroom, feta and thyme, with vegetables flecked with gold dust. Dessert was a light lemon mousse with white chocolate and coconut sphere, with ginger gel and individual cheese spreads to tuck into.