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Paula Majola, Product Owner
 


Ekhaya B&B

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STAY at Paula Majola’s bed and breakfast in the heart of Soweto and you might just find yourself bumping into a Nobel Peace Prize laureate out for his morning jog.

Ekhaya Guesthouse is in Bacela Street, literally a stone’s throw from the world renowned Vilakazi Street, the road that prides itself on having two Nobel prize-winners who have called it home (Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, whose old home is now a museum).

In 1978 Paula inherited her house from her grandparents who had settled there some 40 years earlier. When Paula and her family moved in, shortly after the 1976 student riots which convulsed Soweto and South Africa (and which started in Vilakazi St), the area around the house was largely undeveloped. In the late 1980s the neighbourhood known as “Beverley Hills” – because it was one of Soweto’s more upmarket areas – suddenly came to life. Among those moving in was Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife, Leah.

One of South Africa’s best loved figures, the jocular former Anglican archbishop and his family are not just neighbours but close friends of Paula’s. They gave Paula building materials, advice and encouragement when she came to do alterations and extend her home to accommodate guests.

Ekhaya Guesthouse has three en-suite bedrooms inside the house (in which Paula also lives) and two outside rooms. The name of the two-star guesthouse means “Home” and it is, in every sense, a typical Soweto family house.

Sixty-one-year-old Paula or her assistant, Thoko Mhlongo, are always on hand to ensure that guests’ every need is catered for. But, most importantly, says Paula, they are there to make sure that all visitors feel at home. The guesthouse has no fancy facilities – a lounge/TV room and dining room are available to guests any time of the night and day – but the main selling points of the establishment are its location and the welcoming, put-your-feet up ambience Paula and Thoko have created.

With a twinkle in her eye, Paula says, “Eish, I can talk more than the radio.” What she means is that she loves interacting with people from all over South Africa and, indeed, the world, and there is nothing she likes more than a good chat over a cup of tea. “If people want to hear stories about Soweto, I can tell them stories, plenty of them,” she smiles. “You know, in the old days, a white person couldn’t just come to my house like they do today. White people had to go to the police station, to explain why they wanted to come to my house. Then, after they had left, the police would come round, asking why they were there and what we talked about.
“We must never forget how much this country has changed,” says Paula. “It is thanks to Mandela and the other leaders, and the sacrifices they made, that we can now live a normal life.”

Ekhaya’s guests come from the United States, Britain and Holland, other European and African countries. The guesthouse is often booked by South African businesses whose staff stay in Soweto to learn about township life and to engage in upliftment projects such as painting schools or doing building or repair work. Regular visitors are a group of young Dutch artists who come to South Africa as part of a cultural exchange programme. 

Guests from overseas often arrive exhausted after their long-haul flights and, as soon as they are settled in, the first thing many of them do is to catch up on some sleep. Then they go exploring. While most parts of Soweto are easily accessible from Ekhaya by minibus taxi or bus, because of Ekhaya’s location, most guests simply walk out of the front door and meander around Vilakazi St’s many attractions. Right next door to the Tutus’ home is the acclaimed Sakhumzi Restaurant; the Mandela House Museum and the Hector Pieterson memorial (which tells the dramatic stories of the 1976 riots) are all an easy stroll away, as are other restaurants and bars.

Paula has plans to turn her garage into a conference room/TV area where guests can unwind and watch some of the 2010 and other big soccer matches and enjoy a drink while rubbing shoulders with locals whose passion for football is legendary.
In making her dreams for Ekhaya a reality, TEP have been a tremendous help, says Paula. The partnership, she explains, has helped her with getting the guesthouse graded, with marketing materials, attending trade shows and, perhaps most importantly, with ongoing mentorship to ensure that Ekhaya Guesthouse meets and exceeds guests’ expectations.

Paula Majola +2783 472 9390


 
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