A public - private - 
community partnership has given a new lease of life to Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge, creating employment opportunities for the Batlokoa Ba Mota community of Tsheseng in Phuthaditjhaba, Free State.
The lodge combines rich heritage and tourism on the border of KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. It sits approximately 2 200 metres above sea level, below Sentinel Peak and the iconic Drakensberg Amphitheatre.
The Department of Tourism, through its Working for Tourism Programme, funded the development and handed over the lodge in 2016. This Tourism Month, Vuk’uzenzele highlights the success of the R26.1 million investment that helped revive tourism in the Free State.
During construction, 225 people from the Moeding Thibela, Phomolong and Dinkweng communities were employed. Ten years later, the lodge has grown into a thriving community-owned business that continues to create economic opportunities.
The lodge currently employs 38 permanent staff members. In addition, African Dreams Safaris employs 21 permanent staff and Thaba Adventures employs four permanent staff. A further 16 temporary workers, 13 interns and 11 environmental monitors are employed through the Youth Employment Service programme in the Witsieshoek Conservation Area.
Although Morena e Moholo wa Batlokoa Ba Mota, Morena Montoeli Mota, was unavailable for comment, Vuk’uzenzele obtained remarks he delivered at the 2025 Southern African Development Community Transfrontier Conference.
“On our own, we did not have the means to bring this beautiful place back to life. The lodge was derelict, almost closed, and the dream of turning it into something truly sustainable was nearly out of reach. However, through a genuine public-private-community partnership, we found a way forward,” he said.
He said government and donors helped fund the redevelopment, while the lodge’s corporate partner, Transfrontier Parks Destinations (TFPD), contributed investment, business expertise and tourism industry networks. TFPD is responsible for the commercial management and marketing of the lodge.
The facility offers accommodation, a restaurant, bar, spa, conference centre, gear shop and adventure centre, making it an attractive destination for families, hikers and groups.
Built on heritage
TFPD Marketing Executive Kieran O'Leary told Vuk’uzenzele that heritage is inseparable from Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge because it is built on Batlokoa land.
“The relationship between the Batlokoa and the surrounding mountains stretches back generations. Their history includes remarkable leaders such as Queen Mmanthatisi, who led her people through the upheavals of the early nineteenth century.
"The story of the lodge began in 1957 when King Wessels Mota envisioned a place where visitors to the mountains could be welcomed. Batlokoa schoolchildren, assisted by their elders, built a small hut for hikers and travellers. That modest structure became the foundation of Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge,” he said.
O’Leary explained that the site was expanded into a tourism facility during the 1970s under the apartheid-era Bantu Investment Corporation and later managed by the QwaQwa Development Corporation. Although it was intended to create jobs and economic opportunities, the Batlokoa community did not control the business for many years.
The lodge was returned to the Batlokoa in 2000 through the government's land reform programme. TFPD began commercial operations at the lodge in 2010, with renovations completed in phases until the final phase was concluded in 2016.
“The lodge has developed from an asset in distress into a commercially stable, four-star graded, community-owned tourism business that can fund its own maintenance and future development,” O’Leary said.
He said the true impact of the investment extends beyond the buildings. In 2025 alone, the lodge generated approximately R16.9 million in turnover, while R5.1 million was spent on local procurement. Another R5.1 million flowed directly into community benefits, including staff salaries, rental payments to the community and investment in maintaining the asset. The resulting regional economic benefit was estimated at R10 million.
O’Leary encouraged 
South Africans to support local tourism destinations.
“People travel halfway around the world to experience landscapes, wildlife, cultures and adventures that we have on our doorstep.
"Tourism Month is an opportunity to rediscover these places and recognise tourism as an economic force. When you visit a community-owned destination such as Witsieshoek, the value of your trip extends far beyond the room you sleep in. Your visit supports jobs and local businesses,” he said.
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