Home
HT Regions
Contact Us
Tourism Enterprise Partnership
Order Crafts
Book Experiences
London England Fans
Photo Gallery

Eastern Cape Province
Free State Province
Gauteng Province
Kwa-Zulu Natal Province
Limpopo Province
Mpumalanga Province
North West Province
Northern Cape Province
Western Cape Province
Ebrahim and Mohammed Essack, Product Owner
 


Oasis Lodge

 << Back

IF IT is possible to move a hotel that is precisely what Ismael Essack did in 1991.

Back then Mr Essack senior was the owner of the Oasis Lodge in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. One day he decided that he wanted to move his business closer to Gauteng, to the economic and industrial centre of South Africa. So he chose Mokopane, then known as Potgietersrus, on South Africa’s Great North Road.

Why exactly he decided to up sticks and move to what was then still a small town remains a mystery to his sons, Mohammed, Ebrahim and Haroon. (Their late father, they say, never got around to explaining his decision to them.)

Mokopane is a bustling town these days. Less than two hours from Pretoria and close to Polokwane, the capital of Limpopo province, Mokopane is located close to the N1 highway that takes road travellers to Zimbabwe, Botswana and beyond. It is a gateway to the stunning scenery of the Waterberg and is a major route taken by those visiting the northern reaches of the Kruger National Park.

Now owned by the three Essack brothers, the Oasis Lodge is one of the best run guest lodges in the region, with 72 en-suite double rooms, all of which are equipped with satellite television, remote-controlled air conditioning, telephone and tea/coffee-making facilities. When their father first set up shop in Potgietersrus, the lodge had just 20 rooms, a restaurant and little else but the brothers have steadily built on the dream that led Essack snr to move from one country to another.

“Since we started, the Oasis Lodge has experienced two major makeovers,” explains Mohammed Essack. “The most recent renovation, which has just been completed, has given us 36 new luxury suites, six of which have water-jet spa baths. There is also a conference venue that will accommodate 480 people seated, together with two boardrooms, each capable of accommodating up to 50 participants. We’re very excited about our new developments.”

The new facilities are intended to cope with the growing demand for business conferences, and for weddings and other important celebrations. At R450 per night for a single room, and R100 for a lavish buffet dinner, Oasis’s rates are modest. “One of our big drawcards,” adds Mohammed, “is the fact that we are always prepared to negotiate advantageous group rates for conferences and functions.”

Mokopane the town has plenty of drawcards of its own. The area is classic Bushveld with an abundance of acacia trees and aloes. The region is one of the country’s richest agricultural areas, producing top quality wheat, tobacco, cotton, beef, maize, peanuts and citrus. A good example of the area’s agricultural potential is the Zebediela Citrus estate which is 55km to the southeast and one of the biggest citrus farms in the southern hemisphere.

The Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Afrikaner and English have all left their cultural imprints on Mokopane. The area is rich in minerals, with the mining of platinum, diamonds and granite among the major activities. Mokopane also offers an impressive choice of outdoor activities, including hiking, camping and 4x4 trails, birding, angling and game viewing.

Fifteen kilometres to the north of Mokopane are the Makapansgat Caves, one of the greatest discoveries in the world of archaeology and paleo-anthropology. Makapansgat was first excavated by the illustrious Professor Raymond Dart in the 1920s, and has proved to be an anthropological treasure chest. Over 35 separate and individual specimens of Australopithecus Africanus have been recovered at the site, dating to about 3 million years ago. The Arend Dieperink Museum, (in Mokopane itself), portrays the history of the town, from the ape men of Makapansgat and early bushman drawings, to the Anglo-Boer War and more recent happenings.

One day the Dieperink Museum will include references to what is about to happen to this relatively tranquil region come mid-2010. The Oasis Lodge is only 55km from Polokwane, the site of a brand new soccer stadium and the venue for some important games in the Fifa 2010 soccer World Cup. For that event the Essack brothers are offering free transfers from Polokwane airport to the Oasis Lodge, giving visitors the chance to see something of the spectacular countryside between games.

Mohammed Essack is enthusiastic about the help his lodge has received from TEP. “They’re very keen to help smaller businesses. At the moment we’re working with them on a two-stage project to forecast occupancy levels for 2011. And they’re also very helpful with marketing advice.”


Hidden Treasures™ is created and managed by TEP | Privacy Statement | Terms & Conditions