Farmstead’s Community Legacy

The Moletele Community – bringing a sense of belonging to Farmstead

When the Moletele community was awarded a land claim in the mid-2000s, they chose to collaborate with The Royal Portfolio to create a hospitality and tourism venture. In 2019, Farmstead and Farmhouse opened, creating opportunity for the community and delivering an exceptional tourism product to call their own.

Renessa Chilane has been part of The Royal Portfolio family for over seven years, working as a waitress and hostess. She is also one of many Moletele community members who make Farmstead the kind of bush lodge where guests can completely unwind – serving delicious meals on spacious wooden decks, as nature unfolds all around.

“I’m very proud to be part of the Moletele community. They wanted to do something different with the land and so they built a partnership with The Royal Portfolio who knew how to grow the business so that it could benefit everyone. About 80% of the staff that are working here are from our communities.”

Renessa Chilane who has been part of The Royal Portfolio team for many years

The Farmstead Backstory

Co-founder of The Royal Portfolio, Phil Biden, recalls when the land previously known as “Xilutsi” was awarded to the Moletele in a land claim in the early 2000s. An NGO put together a tourism tender on behalf of the Moletele Community Property Association (CPA), which was looking for a partner to develop the land.

He says, “They reached out to local operators to see if we would be interested in partnering. We were very fortunate to be chosen, and we’ve built Farmstead and Farmhouse in collaboration with the CPA.”

The partnership made perfect sense for The Royal Portfolio – the land is adjacent to the Malewane Lodge property and provided the opportunity to expand the hospitality offering in the Greater Kruger.

Inspired by Farm Living

As Malewane Lodge is the classic African safari lodge, Phil says it was important that the new property had a personality all of its own. The Bidens had seen a contemporary yet rustic eco-farm in England at the time and believed that concept would help differentiate the lodge, leading to Farmstead’s distinctive design.

Sleeping just six guests in three luxury farm suites gives Farmstead a feeling of both space and intimacy, with the spa, gym, boutique and reception all linked by wooden walkways. Adjacent to Farmstead is Farmhouse, the private 4-bedroom villa, ideal for families –ensuring that the property caters to all needs and configurations.

Employing and training a small staff contingent from the Moletele community is part of the agreement with the CPA and personalised service from Renessa and the Farmstead team is a given.

Renessa says sharing the beautiful location with travellers from all over the world is one of the reasons she loves what she does. “The scenery is breathtaking, surrounded by nature and wildlife and there is an elegant environment where we get to meet guests from all over the world. They love coming to Farmstead because it is a very special and unique place.”

Far-Reaching Benefits

While the lodge and villa are laid back, they offer a deliberate sense of quiet luxury. As the CPA holds title to the property and shares in its success through a rental and revenue agreement, The Royal Portfolio’s investment over the years has ensured that Farmstead meets the same standard guests have come to expect from the brand.

Albert Thabane, Chairperson of the Moletele CPA, says that the partnership has achieved a lot for the community on many levels.

“This model works very well for us because we get investors who know the business, who have the resources,” he says, “because this is a lifetime investment that we’re going to share for generations to come.”

The structure of the business model has created a stable foundation for the partnership. Phil says, “Since inception, there’s been a fantastic relationship with the Moletele Community Property Association.”

He reflects on the evolution of their community engagement: “Our work with the local community began from the outset. It was a bit later on that we actually realised that we can’t have an island of conservation in a sea of poverty, and that we needed to work with our neighbours in the community to make sure that we grew together.”

The partnership has expanded beyond the lodge itself through The Royal Portfolio Foundation – paying attention to infrastructure needs in surrounding villages.

Much More than a Lodge

Renessa says, “The Foundation has really contributed so much to the community. It has helped to fund crechès and made sure the toddlers have food, nice playgrounds, and water from boreholes. That’s all coming from The Royal Portfolio Foundation and Farmstead, so that makes me so proud and happy.”

Promise Chilwane has been working at Farmstead for the last four years and was recently promoted to the role of Supervisor in the housekeeping department.

She says, “Farmstead means a lot because we are involved in tourism. It is important for community members because they are offered jobs and can provide for their families. It also means that the younger generation will have the opportunity to experience nature and know about tourists.”

Rooted in a Sense of Home

For pastry chef Grace Makubela, the opportunity to work with The Royal Portfolio for almost 20 years is something she is immensely proud of.

Grace points out that many of the team responsible for building Farmstead were from the local area. “The builders who worked on Farmstead and Farmhouse were also from Moletele, and they have also helped build the crèches,” says Grace. “There are now good opportunities for young kids to come and work at Royal Malewane. Farmstead means a lot to us.”

Phil Biden is encouraged by the collaboration with the Moletele CPA over the years and says Farmstead is a great showcase of how partnerships can have far-reaching benefits in the long term.

“The only way we can correct the injustices of the past is to work with the communities and to build a future for them and for us. We will stay in rural poverty unless we can uplift ourselves together and Farmstead is a good example of just that.”