Meet butler extraordinaire Life Mgwena...

He's the man with the mile-wide smile who always goes out of his way to ensure Baobab Ridge's guests are well taken care of, working hard to make everything at mealtimes and beyond absolutely perfect. But for butler Life Mgwena "life" started out on a different trajectory to the one he now finds himself on. Let's find out more about this invaluable member of the Baobab Ridge team...

His smile lights up the room! Well, deck, actually, where he's busy laying tables for lunch, positioning umbrellas to offer optimum shade from the African sun and carefully adjusting cutlery with focussed precision! Life Mgwena loves what he does and feels he has found his forever home here at Baobab Ridge, where he's been a butler since early 2023. 

"I am very happy here," he laughs as he perfects the table settings, his eagle eye spotting an errant spoon and correcting its placement. He's not wrong, because contentment shines from him as he busies himself with the prep work. "It doesn't matter how many times I do this I still get a kick out of making it look amazing," he giggles. 

Life comes from the nearby village of Hluvukani, on the borders of the Manyeleti Game Reserve and close to the northern reaches of the fabled Sabi Sand private nature reserve. His father was a renowned artist and crafter and as a child Life remembers guests from nearby luxury safari lodges being brought to visit him to purchase his creations. 

"That's where my fascination with hospitality and tourism took hold," he explains. "I saw all these people visiting my community and my home and was amazed by it. I knew I wanted to be part of it because it made us feel so special and so blessed."

When he matriculated from Mugena High School he moved to Skukuza in the Kruger National Park as a research assistant for a team of botanists documenting the flora of the region. It taught him a lot about botany, but his heart was set on hospitality, so when the opportunity came to work at the famed Mala Mala in the Sabi Sand he jumped at it. 

Starting out as a gardener, thanks to his botanical training, he quickly proved himself and moved up to maintenance and then the kitchen, before being relocated to Hillcrest near Durban to further his hospitality training, learning every facet of each department. 

"In 2010 I was moved back to Mala Mala and continued to work there for two years before getting an opportunity in the private restaurants in the Kruger National Park, spending a few more years honing my skills there. But when I moved to Boabab Ridge it felt like I had come home, and I immediately knew this was where I belonged," explains Life.

Being a butler means dealing with guests each and every day and it's Life's favourite part of the job. "I love meeting people from all over the world and finding out where they are from and all about them," he says. "My job is very service orientated as I am serving guests with food and drinks, making sure they have everything they need and that they are happy.

A father of two children aged 17 and 12, Life turns 38 next March and is looking forward to furthering his career at Baobab Ridge, where he knows there are opportunities for him. "I would love to study hospitality further and expand my skills, and see myself growing within the team here," he says with his trademark smile.

"I come from a community where tourism plays a big role - with the Manyeleti Game Reserve and northern Sabi Sand offering lots of opportunities for local people to become involved in the safari business. So, I appreciate the value that tourism has for local people and am enormously grateful for the opportunities it has given me, both professionally and personally.

"I am also full of gratitude for the new 'family' I now have here at Baobab Ridge - my team of colleagues who make every day at work enjoyable and fulfilling. This is truly home to me!"