The demise of Cybele Forest Lodge and Health Spa

Well-known Cybele Forest Lodge & Health Spa will close down at midday on Sunday November 17. The closure is as a result of a land claim which was initiated by the Manzimhlophe community, nearly five years ago.
This community, under the leadership of Swazi chief William Matsaba, was removed from this land during the 1960s when it was given to timber companies.
After its claim was verified and found to be valid, the South African Restitution of Land Rights Act was introduced to address the dispossession of land from historically disadvantaged persons. The government purchased the lodge and 120 hectares of forestry land on behalf of the community for a reported R17 million.
“What is particularly distressing,” says Mr Rupert Jeffries, director Cybele, “is that the government has completely failed in its objectives towards the well-being of the Manzimhlophe people.
“We requested meetings, engagements and commitments from it in respect of a suitable and efficient handover of the hotel, and a further purchase of all fittings and moveable assets prior to the finalisation of the sale agreement between us and the government almost a year ago. None of this effort yielded any result.”
The government undertook sporadic efforts to find a hospitality or strategic partner to run the lodge in conjunction with the community. However, these attempts failed and will now result in 45 staff and their dependants being deprived of an income. Most of these employees have worked at the lodge for more than 20 years.
“With no hotel management help anywhere in sight, or funding for the community,” continues Jeffries, “the reality is that these peole will simply inherit a completely empty lodge that will become derelict in a very short space of time. The forest timber plantations, an integral feature of the character of the lodge – will not continue to stand for much longer.”
Mr Anthony Benadie, provincial leader DA, commented that the party was deeply concerned over the future of the Manzimhlope community. “Land restitution is not only about putting rightful beneficiaries back on the land from which they were removed,” says Benadie. “It is also to provide beneficiaries with the necessary finance, training, mentorships, and if needed, joint ventures with established players in the field to ensure that beneficiaries receive maximum benefit out of restitution.
“Why did the government not take up the former owner’s offer when its negotiations with potential partners failed? What prompted the decision to simply leave this impoverished community, which has been waiting over 55 years to return to its land, to fend for itself?”