End of era at Mala Mala
MPUMALANGA’S luxurious Mala Mala private game reserve – popular with international holidaymakers – is set to pay R8.4-million to a Bushbuckridge community following the priciest land restitution settlement in South Africa’s history.
President Jacob Zuma will officially hand over the 13 184 hectares of land and title deeds to the community today.
The community of about 950 households with about 15 000 inhabitants will receive R700 000 a month in rental fees from the previous owners.
The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform paid the multimillionaire lodge owner, Michael Rattray, R1.1-billion for the exclusive lodge and the country’s largest private game reserve.
According to one of the Mala Mala directors, Alison Morphet, the Rattray family would pay the rental fee to the community until January next year.
Morphet said the Rattray family would continue running the lodge while training and mentoring the community until they were sufficiently skilled to run the lodge sustainably. However, the family was in talks with the local N’wandlamhlarhi Community Property Association (CPA) for a continuous business partnership.
“We are negotiating for a win-win situation for us as the Mala Mala brand, for the community, government and for the country as a whole. [Mala Mala] is critical to the country’s economy and no one wants to see this business falling,” she said.
The family has owned the lodge, where rooms cost between R6 000 and R14 000 a night, for more than four decades. The exclusive Khaya suite would set you back R17 425 per night sharing.
An executive member of the CPA, who asked not to be named, said the funds would be managed and distributed for community development.
He would not comment on whether the CPA would agree to run the lodge with the previous owners.
Rural Development and Land Reform ministry spokesman Mthobeli Mxotwa said the government would ensure the community was ready and equipped to take over the running of the lodge, “to prevent the game reserve from collapsing”.