Mantis invest R75m on boutique hotel at Liliesleaf farm
01. Feb, 2010
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Local hotel magnate and Mantis CEO, Adrian Gardiner aims to mark one of the famous events in turbulent pre-democracy history of the country with his latest development project – a R75 million boutique hotel at the site of the famous Liliesleaf farm. Liliesleaf and the subsequent raid – is uniquely connected with the Rivonia Trail which focused world attention on South Africa – came to represent and symbolise the essence of the liberation struggle. The media surrounding the Rivonia Trial and the harsh sentencing of 8 of the 10 accused catapulted the atrocities of the apartheid system permanently onto the international stage. The 10 trialists consisting of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Dennis Govan Mbeki, Dennis Goldberg, James Kantor, Lionel Bernstein, Andrew Mlangeni, Elais Motsoaledi, Ahmed Kathrada and Raymond Mhlaba became international icons for the struggle against an oppressive regime. Arthur Goldreich and Harold Wolpe (a leading member of the SACP) escaped the sentencing by breaking out of Marshall Square in Johannesburg after bribing a police officer. Their escape was symbolically very important, as it showed the Apartheid government that the raid has not “crushed” the ANC as a viable liberation movement.
In 1961, Liliesleaf was purchased by Navain (Pty) Ltd a front company for the South African Communist Party (SACP) and evolved into the headquarters of Umkhonto-weSizwe (MK), the African National Congress (ANC) military wing. Liliesleaf was also a hideaway and meeting place for ANC and Congress Alliance senior leaders. The raid and arrests by security police on Liliesleaf in 1963, led to the Rivonia Trial which became a catalyst for the liberation struggle culminating 31 years later in the election and formation of SA’s first democratically elected government,.
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At the Liliesleaf Reunion in 2001, then President Thabo Mbeki announced the launch of the Liliesleaf Trust. The Trust was established to restore, preserve and maintain the historical structures, buildings and legacy of the site. In preserving these structures, the aim is to ensure that the essence, spirit and soul of Liliesleaf is maintained for current and future generations.
To date, a memorandum of understanding to develop, manage and market the new hotel has been signed with Liliesleaf Trust CEO Nicholas Wolpe, with construction to commence in June of this year.
Mantis CEO Adrian Gardiner said, “At the moment we are going through the process of obtaining approval of all plans. This iconic hotel will be two-storey’s high, with a total of 48 rooms in four blocks of 12. When the hotel opens in 2011, rates will range from R2 000-00 and R4 000-00 a room per night. The hotel is aimed at the business market, the tourist market as well as government and political markets. Each room will be themed around the Rivonia Trailists as well as Harold Wolpe & Arthur Goldreich who escaped from prison prior to the Trial.
“This hotel will also include conferencing facilities, a spa, a business center, restaurant and a wine cellar.
“It’s imperative that any hotel design takes cognizance of the historical significance and ambiance of this site.”
Gardiner believes that his group was chosen because of its record and success in conserving a vanishing way of life, and for its international marketing footprint in the world with offices in the USA, UK and representatives all over Europe.
Liliesleaf Trust Chief Executive Nicholas Wolpe said, “It has always been our objective to include an iconic hotel in the Liliesleaf Legacy Project. It would be a place where people can come and not only experience the importance of Liliesleaf, but engage in constructive dialogue. We want to make it possible for people who don’t have the opportunity to visit the historical site to get a sense and feel of its significance and importance. “
“Exact plans have not been decided upon. These will unfold as we go along and we are not prescribing what Mantis must display as it may not suit the ambience of the hotel. This hotel is the final cog in the Liliesleaf Legacy Project. What’s fantastic is that the Mantis Group shares this enthusiasm and recognizes its importance. I am extremely excited about this relationship developing and blossoming over the months and years to come. They conserving, we’re preserving and conserving and preserving to all intents and purposes have the same meaning and the same objective and I think that is very important.”
Dennis Goldberg, one of the 10 trailists enthused, “The stirring events at Liliesleaf farm in Rivonia and the Trial that followed should be widely known. The hotel will increase the number of people who visit the Liliesleaf Museum and the hotel is a new departure. It reflects the co-operation between commerce and social activism; making commerce and history work together.’
In Nelson Mandela’s autobiography ‘Long Walk to Freedom’, Mandela mentions his time spent at Liliesleaf farm, in that Liliesleaf was an old house that needed work and no lived there. “I moved in under the pretext that I was a houseboy or caretaker that would live there until my master took possession. I had taken the alias David Motsamayi, the name of one of my former clients. At the farm, I wore the simple blue overalls that were the uniform of the black male servant. “
My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
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