The Mosetlha Team

Mosetlha is family owned and run, and there's always a family member on site managing the Camp to ensure the best possible, personal attention at all times.  We like to think of Mosetlha as a home from home for our guests (just without any mod cons like tv's and aircon - and with slightly wilder animals!).  A place for you to come and just "be" in the bush with a very real chance of seeing magnificent animals in their natural habitat and where someone else makes your bed, does the cooking and clearing up and drives you around.

Our rugged rangers .....

We pride ourselves on the fact that all of our field guides are extremely well qualified and experienced - well over and above the minimum qualifications that are required in order to work in Madikwe - and they're really nice guys to boot!!  These four individuals have very unique qualities and abilities that set them apart and together they make up a truly awesome (and formidable!) team.

Jonny Motsieloa

Jonny, our Senior Field Guide, is the most experienced guide in this particular area.  He was born here and grew up and played on the roads and farm lands that became Madikwe, he went to school in what is now the NWPB Head Office and Conference Rooms. 

He started work in the Reserve as a security guard in 1992 and his brilliant career was seriously kick started when he was chosen to attend the Mafisa* Training Programme.  This he completed most successfully and did his practical training at one of the luxury lodges.  He came to us on Friday 13th September 2002. 

Jonny is super knowledgeable, has eagle eyes (I swear he could spot game through a solid brick wall) and really takes you in to his world on his drives and walks. (*A course run by the Environmental Training Group in 2000- see Chris below - where eight local villagers were selected and trained, from scratch, in all aspects of field guiding and the hospitality industry.  All eight are now working very successfully in the Reserve.  Another course – for 2006 – is currently in the planning stages.)

Sam Mmesi

The Family

Mosetlha is owned and managed by Chris and June and their daughter, Caroline

Chris Lucas, starter of all this.  Chris' passion is, and has always been, the bush.  Qualified as a Civil Engineer (Cambridge 1965), he ran a successful Project Management company towards the end of his career and retired early to enjoy his little spot in Madikwe.  As so often happens post retirement, this little hobby has become a (more than) full time job, requiring more people, more vehicles, more cabins and more energy as the years have gone by! 

Chris' thing is most definitely the morning bush walks where his knowledge, expertise, patience and ability to make the little things in the bush come alive for you, is unsurpassable.

How it all started

Chris started the Environmental Training Group in 1990.  ETG ran a part time, one year training course for 13 years for people who wanted to learn more about the bush.  (ETG designed and ran the field guiding side of the very successful Mafisa Training Programme, mentioned above.)  Graduates of his course were fully qualified field guides - all trained up and nowhere to go because they were only able to dedicate weekends to their expertise.  This is why he built Mosetlha - to provide a job and experience for his ETG graduates. 

Mosetlha kicked off as a weekend only operation, accommodating eight guests from midday on a Friday when field guides and guests all arrived together (with sleeping bags and mattresses for the two dormitory style cabins), enjoyed the magic of Madikwe for a couple of days and closed down Camp and departed along with guests at midday on the Sunday.  We ran quite happily like this for four years, and then employed our first full time guide.  By now word had got around about Mosetlha and our guest numbers were increasing quite dramatically. 

 We needed to add a few structures to the Camp - cabins, loos and showers, dining area, bigger kitchen, store rooms and an office, staff accommodation, more car ports, the lapa .... it's seems to never end!  Today we have four full time (and most excellent!) guides, three vehicles and nine double cabins - we're a 16 bed lodge with the ability to accommodate 18 people if block booking.

June Lucas

June has many strings to her bow - apart from being a fully qualified First Aid Instructor (who trains the field guides at all the Madikwe lodges) she is also a field guide and a pretty decent back up on those walks.  She no longer takes drives as she feels that guests prefer to be guided by our young, macho rangers (I think the real reason is that she's scared of getting lost in Madikwe's myriad of roads!).  She designs the menus, buys the stock, chooses the "decor", and is the hostess with the mostest!

Caroline Lucas

Caroline was living in London when the Camp was started in July 1995.  She was doing the corporate thing, working as a project manager, when she came home to "help out" for six months.  All the teething problems of running a new business had, by now, been sorted out and all that was needed was a little dedicated time at the Camp itself in order to make it even more of a success (for which she, quite unashamedly, takes complete and absolute credit). 

This was in March 2001 and, whilst she knows nothing about the bush or running a lodge, we can't seem to be able to get rid of her (and she's under the sad delusion that she's the boss).  She's now making beaded jewellery which she insists on displaying at the Camp to sell to our poor, unsuspecting guests, some of whom feel obliged to support her little creative venture - but it is good stuff, and good value for money, so bring a bit of extra cash in case you feel the need to indulge!

The Office

Julie-Ann McCool

Jules - was employed to do a bit of admin and secretarial stuff.  She swanned in, put her systems in place and is now, having been with us from August 2001, single handedly running the Sandton office.  She is the first contact our guests have with us and is completely responsible for all of our bookings and pre- and post-visit communication with guests. 

 Jules is a real find - dedicated, loyal, hard working and completely "into" Mosetlha.  She runs a pretty tight ship and, despite having to deal with almost constant interference from the Lucas contingent, still keeps a smile on her face, is pleasant and friendly and helpful and always willing to go that extra mile for our guests.  For our regular guests, you will notice that Jules' surname has changed.

She got married to Ben on the 13th November 2004 - an absolutely fabulous wedding, she looked like a princess!  She planned and organised her magical day with the same dedication and efficiency we see from her in the office ... so needless to say it went off without a hitch (!).  The latest news in Jules’ life is Tyler Wade, her gorgeous son and heir brought into the world in November 2005.

Sidney Sprong

Sid is our Jack of All Trades, Master of Many ... Sid is based at the Mosetlha Base Camp!  He is our Procurement Manager (buys and packs all the supplies to be sent up twice a week), our Stock Manager, our Mail Room Manager ... you name it, Sid does it.

Lovemore Ncube

Lovemore has been with the Lucas family since 1974 and has been involved with the Camp since its inception in 1995 (he played his part in the actual building of the original cabins).  He is now in charge of stock control – and does the garden at the Sandton office!

The Camp

The Ladies: Nurse Nokane, Franciscah Sephai and Judy Taukobong

Nurse has been with us from the very beginning - when we first started operating as a full time lodge.  Her dad drove her to the Camp in a huge truck, she came in and asked for a job, and she never left!  When she went on maternity leave (and produced a beautiful little boy, Jonathan), she sent her friend, Fran, to fill in for her.  Fran proved to be such a star, we had to offer her a permanent position too. 

 Nurse and Fran run the kitchen with iron fists, and are also responsible for all housekeeping duties, making sure the cabins and facilities are properly made up and spotless.  They have recently been joined by Judy who has been brought in as their locum when either of them is on leave – and to keep Jonny company (she is his wife-to-be and mother of their little girl, Clementine).

The Guys: Amos Sephai, Moses Matlapeng and Thabo Smith

These four are the macho side of the Housekeeping Team.  They ensure that the Camp is always looking its best, wood is chopped for the fire, water is collected daily for the bowsers, the laundry is delivered to the local farmer, the fridge is stocked with drinks, the rubbish is burned, the (over 150!) lanterns are clean and full of paraffin - they generally make sure the place runs.  Amos, Moses and Thabo take turns in staying overnight at the Camp to cook the evening meal, light and put out the lanterns (so that we can hear to ubiquitous “This is just like fairyland” comment when you come back home after your evening drive!) and make sure that the place is spick and span for the morning when they light fires, boil kettles and get your morning coffee and snack ready.

These guys also tend to want to get involved in the kitchen, and often you'll see them interfering in lunch preparations (with Nurse and Fran's express permission, of course!).  Amos (Fran’s husband and father of their little girl, Desiree) is proving to be a real problem in that we have to fight off guests queuing up with job offers to take him home - he is a true Jack of all Trades having worked as a gardener, waiter, barman, security guard, driver ... you name it!

So that's us - each and every person shares the same goal: to make sure that you, our guests, have the best possible time with us and that the Mosetlha experience vastly exceeds your expectations - and that you leave with plans to come back and see us soon (and tell all your friends about us!).

We look forward to meeting you - and seeing you again.

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