Businessman to take charge of Graskop resort
The task of restoring the once-thriving Graskop Resort and Caravan Park to its former glory, lies on the shoulders of Sabie businessman, Mr Ellito Marobela.
GRASKOP – The task of restoring the once-thriving Graskop Resort and Caravan Park to its former glory, lies on the shoulders of Sabie businessman, Mr Ellito Marobela. Thaleda, the agency mandated to build up the economic capacity of the Thaba Chweu Municipality to improve its economic future made the announcement last week.
A company headed by Marobela company has been nominated as the preferred bidder to reinstate, operate and expand the Thaba Chweu’s Graskop Resort for a period of 15 years.
The selection followed a competitive procurement process which resulted in five bids received and evaluated. According to Thaleda, Marobela’s bid qualified based on a detailed evaluation of technical specifications, including skills, expertise and vision and business plan for the resort.
Marobela is a resident in the Thaba Chweu community and owns and operates the Country Kitchen restaurant and bed and breakfast in Sabie. He was trained at the well-known and branded Aventura Resorts.
“He has proposed a skilled management team with the right blend of experience and passion for the tourism market,” says Ms Sindiswa Mathebula of Thaleda.
All financial risk for the reinstatement, expansion and operations of the resort for the contract period will fall on Morebela’s company, with no financial support from the municipality. Investing his own capital, Morebela is in discussion with a number of funders including the IDC (Industrial Development Corporation), MEGA and Nyda (National Youth Development Agency). It is a requirement of a public private partnership that the bidder form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to execute the contract.
Mathebula confirmed that if the contract negotiations are successful, and the procedural requirements have been complied with, it is anticipated that Marobela will take control of the resort by December 2014 and will have it reinstated and operating again by April 2014. The expansion vision will happen over a period of time. The asset will revert to the municipality on termination of the contract.
