I was immediately employed by Fedics Food Services an Assistant Catering Manager at the Civic Centre in Cape Town. One year later I was offered a position as Catering Manager at the University of Stellenbosch Graduate School of Business, in Belville, where I worked for the next five years. I was then appointed at the Panorama Medi-Clinic as a Project Manager. Several years later, in October 1999, I was priviledged to join the Eikendal team.

I am extremely passionate about my job as Eikendal Lodge Manageress. Together with the very capable Eikendal Lodge Team, we strive to make every guest feel special and shower them with our warm and generous South African hospitality!

Elsje Matthee
I was born in August 1980 in the North West Province and at the age of 4 moved to a small coastal village on the West Coast. I matriculated from Jan van Riebeeck High School in 1998 and then spend two years traveling Europe and the UK.

On returning from my travels I went to study at Cape Town Technikon and received my National Diploma in Public Relations Management . I spent a year working for a company doing marketing for shopping centers and then the travel bug bit again! I returned to the UK and worked as an Assistant Manager at a small country hotel owned by one of Scotland’s leading leisure hotels. I gained a lot of experience in hotel management there and enjoyed the hospitality industry very much.

On my return to South Africa I went back into shopping centre marketing, but my heart stayed in hospitality. I was blessed enough to be offered an opportunity to work at Eikendal Lodge and have been embraced by the warmth that is Eikendal!

The friendly faces of Eikendal Lodge (from left to right) Minnie Longman, Geraldine Jansen, Sonaya van Wyk and Sophia Sylvester
Eikendal Lodge Assistant Manager Elsje Matthee	Eikendal Lodge Manager Leonie Fourie
Eikendal Lodge's hairy friend - JACK