Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa – Investment and Employment - Responsible Tourism: Critical Issues for Conservation and Development - page 254

be close to the original estimate (excluding the non-cash items, multipliers, etc.
mentioned in the paragraph above). Data were not available for the other commu-
nity-owned lodge (Molatedi village) but turnover and occupancy levels at their 24
bed lodge are significantly higher in absolute and percentage terms than the
Lekgophung village lodge.
The communities have been able to secure all but one of the employment
positions through their greater bargaining power. In addition they earn turnover
royalties/levies discussed above. In due course they will also become owners of the
lodges, debt-free with significant capital value estimated at $4.7 million. The
revenue flows from these assets (profits and/or royalties) can be directed at a
number of community projects in the future.
Some comparative data from lodge clusters in
southern Africa
For comparative purposes, in Figure 12.2, studies by Koch et al (2001a, 2001b,
2001c, 2001d) show samples of top-end lodges in four southern African clusters
compared to Madikwe in 2003. The sample sizes are small, but some regional
differences are apparent. Zimbabwe for instance has a low percentage of female
employees (23 per cent). The cleaning and room service positions - usually taken
by women in the industry are, in the instance of the region reviewed in Zimbabwe,
often taken by men. Notably, South Africa has the lowest percentage of local
employees and this partly reflects the skills shortage in the area, which is not
densely populated, and also the relative newness of the community to the tourism
industry. The remoteness of many of the lodges, in the non-SA lodges sampled,
may also pose a substantial barrier to the employment or development of non-
local employees. However, given that Madikwe is a socioeconomic model
developed for local benefit it is hoped that the reserve managers and policy
makers will pay more attention to local skills development and promotion
In the commercial lodges, aside from the effect the community lodges have on
the averages, it appears that after 10+ years, the villages around the reserve
continue to capture a greater proportional share of the available jobs. However,
the gap between percentage of locals employed (74.3 per cent) and percentage
earned (46.2 per cent) compared to 2003 indicates that the skills gap persists and
skills have to be recruited from more distant areas. For semi-skilled or skilled
positions (defined very broadly in this study as annual cash wages of $4286
upwards and consisting of 241 of the 571 formal jobs at commercial lodges) 102
or 42.3 per cent were occupied by local residents. From the data available, it
appears that 19.4 per cent or 19 out of 98 jobs, in the 20 commercial lodges
paying above $10,000 per annum for those positions, were occupied by local
residents.