Spark of life on a dusty village street
Every once in a while I go through an experience that I can immediately tell I’m never going to forget — the type of encounter that makes an indelible impression.
This week, I set out on a four-and-a-half-hour trip to Makhado/Louis Trichardt in
Limpopo to visit a lodge I was referred to by Limpopo Tourism Agency CEO Nomasonto Ndlovu.
But first I must tell you about a gentleman called Kone Sebata.
Kone was born in Soweto but his parents came from the fertile Soutpansberg area called Tshilata next to Makhado in the Vhembe district of Limpopo.
His parents experienced forced removals by the apartheid regime from the beautiful, fertile mountains that boasted tons of water from the natural springs and rivers of Tshilata.
They were sent to the semi-desert around the dusty village of Sin’thumule, about 20km from Makhado, where members of Kone’s family still live today.
Due to unworkable soil and lack of water in Sin’thumule, subsistence farming ended and many families, including his parents, moved to Johannesburg in search of alternative job opportunities.
“Since I was a child, I knew that I owe it to my people in Sin’thumule to change their lives, give them hope, create employment and do something that will alleviate poverty despite the unfortunate environment they find themselves in,” said Kone.
“In 2014, I saw an opportunity of putting up a four-star lodge in the village as I realised that the unemployment rate was untenable and there was a need for quality accommodation in the area.
“So, I agreed with my wife that we’d sell all our properties and cars, as well as liquidate our investments, to build Kone Village Boutique Lodge in the middle of our village.
“In any case, Las Vegas was once a village in a desert just like Sin'thumule.”
When I arrived at Kone Village, and received a warm welcome from Kone’s kind staff, I told him just how convinced I was that my GPS had sent me to the wrong place. It turned out I was not the only one.
Earlier this year, Gauteng radio station Jacaranda FM’s breakfast show host, singer Martin Bester, and his band got on the road for his Vir die Liefde tour and took it to Makhado. They decided to stay at Kone Village.
The next Monday morning Bester shared his experience with his listeners.
“So we drive into this very dusty rural village. People are looking at us, and we are looking at people, and it’s a bit weird and I think to myself we are completely lost. We eventually get to this oasis in the middle of a rural village. It is beautiful. It is unexpected. It is surprising. It is luxurious.
“The room I stayed in is bigger than my house in Johannesburg. It had a spa bath and everything inside, our own lounge, our own indoor braai, and just amazing staff, friendliness and great service. And what I love about this is that it was created by a guy who comes from this village.
“He came to Gauteng and did very well for himself, has businesses from Soweto to Alberton and everything in between.
“But he decided that instead of him opening this dream of his in Bryanston or Sandton, he opened it in this rural village where he comes from — uplifting the village, giving people hope, giving them employment and, most importantly, giving something to be proud of.”
Kone Village employs just over 50 people. The number increases every time there is a big function or event.
“The average breadwinner in my village who is lucky enough to have a job in downtown Louis Trichardt earns around R3,000 a month,” said Kone.
“However, they spend around R1,000 a month on transport to and from work. By building our lodge here in the village I immediately give them a 33% salary increase because many of them walk to work. Imagine the impact on people who don’t have any work.”
The story of Kone Village reminds us that the legacy of apartheid is there for all of us to see, but some among us are spending less time complaining about the problem. They are seeing opportunity and finding solutions.
So today, I want to thank Kone and his wife, Bonolo, for choosing to be part of the solution and playing their part in restoring the dignity of our people.
For the rest of us, whether you are looking for an office away-weekend with a difference, or you find yourself in Vhembe, Limpopo, and want to delay the four-and-ahalf-hour drive back to Johannesburg, make an overnight turn to the only four-star resort in the middle of a dusty village, and play your part.
Some among us spend less time complaining. They see opportunity