City Lodge Hotels delivers nearly 2000 #burgersofjoy!

Burger-making production line in the expansive kitchen at the Johannesburg Children's Home, with chefs and staff from City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport and Mrs Soweto Finalist 2023 Fatima Moyane.

Trevor Boyd, Fatima Moyane, Ian Laughland, Irvan Damon

Mrs Soweto Finalist 2023 Fatima Moyane preparing burgers for the children

From left: Sipho Mdluli (acting director, The Johannesburg Children's Home); Trevor Boyd (operations manager: F&B, City Lodge Hotels); Fiona Duke (head of operations, The Johannesburg Children's Home); Fatima Moyane (Mrs Soweto Finalist 2023); Irvan Damon (MyDigiChef); Devandra Narismulu (executive chef, City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport)

The Johannesburg Children's Home welcomed the team from City Lodge Hotels, MyDigiChef and Mrs Soweto Finalist 2023 Fatima Moyane to add to the Mandela Day festivities at the home. From left: Fatima Moyane (Mrs Soweto Finalist 2023); Trevor Boyd (group operations manager: F&B, City Lodge Hotels); Nomusa Nyoni; Devandra Narismulu (executive chef); Lungelo Nxumalo; Mazwi Mthembu; Ian Laughland (general manager); and Julius von Richter (assistant general manager) all from City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport; and Irvan Damon from MyDigiChef.

This year, City Lodge Hotels was a hive of activity as half the group’s 59 hotels from around the country, together with support office in Johannesburg, partnered with MyDigiChef’s #67burgersofjoy initiative. MyDigiChef is an online culinary training resource run by Irvan Damon. The 30 participating properties pledged to make at least 67 burgers each to be donated to charitable organisations in nearby communities.

By the end of Mandela Day, the group had donated over 2,000 burgers as well as many other delicious treats to close on 20 homes and care centres as part of the #67burgersofjoy campaign. Several of the festivities were shared via Instagram live feed, with children singing our national anthem and chefs and teams from the hotels working together to organise a fun party atmosphere for beneficiaries. The remainder of the group’s hotels supported similar initiatives in their areas, and reminding these sometimes-overlooked communities that kindness and compassion are universal.

Mrs Soweto Finalist 2023, Fatima Moyane, joined the team at City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport in the hotel’s recently revamped kitchen. She rolled up her sleeves and got stuck into flipping burgers before heading to the Johannesburg Children’s Home to pack gift bags and hand them out to the delighted children, who were just back from their first day of the school term. Fatima epitomises beauty with purpose and, as a mother herself, spent time learning more about how this home enriches the lives of its 64 resident children.

City Lodge Hotels has long been dedicated to supporting those in need through various charitable activities and donations throughout the year, some driven by support office and many others taking place at hotel level. With 56 hotels across South Africa and one each in Windhoek, Namibia; Gaborone, Botswana; and Maputo, Mozambique, the group gives back to communities far and wide.

Trevor Boyd, group operations manager of food and beverage at City Lodge Hotels, says, “Mandela Day is a chance to celebrate Madiba’s life by enriching the lives of others, just like he did. Each hotel chose to benefit a charity or organisation in need close to their hotels and hearts, and a major meal drive was generated by MyDigiChef’s #67burgersofjoy. We are humbled and proud to be able to join hands across City Lodge Hotels and South Africa to help those in need, especially children. Based on the success of Mandela Day 2023, we would like to make this a sustainable food drive throughout the year.”