40th birthday marked by planting trees, empowering communities, and showcasing female leadership

“Women are the heartbeat of our communities and hospitality, bringing warmth, skill, resilience, and vision to every part of our business,” says Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, chief operating officer of City Lodge. “This Women’s Month, we celebrate the incredible women within our group as well as the communities, entrepreneurs, and associates who grow alongside us. We are firm believers in making the circle bigger, and sharing opportunities, knowledge, and support so that together we can create lasting change.”

To keep the celebrations going, guests can enjoy 40% off accommodation at participating City Lodge Hotels until 31 August 2025, a thank you to loyal guests and a warm welcome to new ones during this milestone year. Go to www.citylodgehotels.com to find out more and book.

Planting roots for the future

As part of its 40th anniversary celebrations and the start of Women’s Month, City Lodge Hotels, together with long-standing CSI partner Food and Trees for Africa, held a symbolic tree-planting ceremony at the Mothusi Tshegofatso ya Karabo urban food garden in Sandton on 1 August. A group of 20 women from the City Lodge Hotels support office planted 40 lemon and peach trees, celebrating four decades of hospitality excellence while reinforcing the group’s commitment to sustainability and community legacy.

The food garden, a mother-and-daughter initiative launched in 2013 by Lekau Nkoko and her daughter Mothushi, has grown into a thriving urban farm. This hidden 2.5-hectare green space, bordering Innesfree Park and surrounded by the Sandton CBD, supplies local feeding schemes, creates jobs, and produces natural fruits, vegetables, herbs, and value-added products under the Hlabirwa’s Kitchen brand. The day showed how community, sustainability, and enterprise can flourish together, leaving a living, nourishing legacy for generations to come.

Hands-on hospitality skills

At Courtyard Hotel Sandton, general manager Shelley Steele and her team welcomed a group from Adult Programme for People with Autism, together with the team from Els for Autism and David Arnold and Johann Coetser from sponsor Auto X for a morning of learning, connection, and fun. The young adults were guided by caring hotel staff through various hospitality tasks, including folding towels, restocking refreshment stations, and preparing colourful fruit kebabs, as part of their focus on lifelong learning. The morning ended with a delicious burger lunch, shared stories, and a sense of accomplishment by the youngsters, highlighting the hotel’s commitment to inclusivity and skills development for people of all abilities.

Championing women entrepreneurs

City Lodge Hotels’ incubator programme, run in partnership with SATSA and Sigma International, continues to empower entrepreneurs, with strong representation from women-owned businesses. These enterprises are flourishing and playing a vital role in diversifying and strengthening South Africa’s tourism value chain. The female-owned businesses currently part of the programme include:

Women at City Lodge Hotels

The group’s commitment to gender equity is reflected in its workforce statistics, with 61% of the total workforce female:

• 60% of junior management
  
• 61% of middle management
  
• 40% of senior management
  
• 36% of top management

“We are really proud of all the women who work for City Lodge Hotels, where we create an empowering environment for everyone to thrive. Our enterprise and supplier development incubator is a testament to our commitment to transformation, and especially to supporting women. When given the opportunity, women can sustain their families, uplift their communities, and help economies grow,” says Lindiwe.