The game farm funded by the government with animals from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala

A new multi-million tourism development, the Matsila Game Lodge, has officially opened in Limpopo’s Collins Chabane Local Municipality. It promises to help jumpstart the local economy and empower the community.

Funded through the fiscus, the tranquil and picturesque lodge officially opened to the public in January 2025.

It features 16 luxury tented chalets, a restaurant, a swimming pool, and a range of wildlife, including buffalo, impala, nyala, kudu, zebra, giraffe, and other small antelope species.

The Matsila Lodge, unlike many stalled or unopened state-funded projects, is operational. However, concerns from some critics remain over its budget, transparency, and whether it will deliver the promised economic and social benefits to the local community.

Matsila Village, located about 28km from Elim and home to around 10,000 residents, has seen notable transformation over the past decade, evolving into a budding hub for agriculture, tourism, and community-led development.

The game lodge’s construction was initiated after the original Joe Matsila Guesthouse, a “successfully managed” community lodge according to the Department, was destroyed by a fire in 2018.

The Matsila Community Development Trust wrote to the Department of Tourism (DoT) around September 2018 to request financial assistance for rebuilding a lodge.

Funding was approved, part of the Department’s broader effort to promote rural development in biodiversity-rich regions through eco-tourism initiatives.

“The main benefit to the community is in the form of jobs as the unemployment rate is very high in the area, especially amongst the youth,” area leader Chief Livhuwani Matsila told BusinessTech.

He said the lodge would also serve as a training centre for local youth and unemployed residents while supporting small businesses that supply goods and services such as plumbing, electrical work, and maintenance.

Originally budgeted at R21.2 million, the project’s estimated costs rose to R47 million in the DoT’s 2025/26 annual performance plan (APP) before dipping to R39.72 million, according to departmental spokesperson Tasneem Carrim.

On the expenditure front, the APP reports expenditure at R36.65 million, while the DoT says that R34.48 million has been spent.

Background of the project

The project’s origins date back over a decade, when the Matsila Royal Family allocated approximately 800 hectares of communal land for tourism development.

The development has been channelled through the Matsila Community Development Trust, established in 2007 and chaired by Chief Matsila.

Chief Matsila is a well-connected and influential political figure. He currently serves as secretary of the ANC’s provincial electoral committee and is known for his close ties to President Cyril Ramaphosa and other senior politicians.

The Trust has secured substantial funding for village projects, including over R40 million from the National Lottery Commission.

The lodge envisioned as a long-term investment in sustainable rural development, aimed at creating jobs and stimulating the local economy through eco-tourism.

The first phase involved fencing the area and establishing the Matsila Nature Reserve, now home to a growing variety of wildlife.

The wildlife includes buffalo donated by the government and President Ramaphosa from his Phala Phala farm in his personal capacity, along with impala (also donated by the President), nyala, kudu, zebra, giraffe, and other small antelope species.

Wanting to make the lodge a reality, particularly after the Joe Matsila Lodge in the area burnt down in 2018, the trust approached the DoT, which has long funded similar infrastructure projects.

Project kicks off

In a letter seen by BusinessTech from former Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi to the Limpopo Provincial Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, the budget was set at R21.2 million in its early stages.

Following the department’s 2018/19 audit, many projects came under investigation for irregular and fruitless expenditure.

After the investigation concluded, the Department appointed the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) to implement tourism infrastructure projects on its behalf.

The DBSA appointed KUMA Consulting as the primary service provider, having worked on numerous tourism projects in the country. Masana Masshold Projects was appointed contractor.

During this time, the budget consistently increased, citing new scopes. In a 2023 Parliamentary Q&A, the minister cited the budget as R40.2 million.

The site was officially handed over in January 2023, with an expected completion date of December 2023, which was not met.

Carrim said that this is because persistent rainfall disrupted construction timelines, while the contractor faced procurement setbacks related to the solar system and tented chalets.

Cash flow constraints on the contractor’s part further slowed progress, while other delays were caused by variation orders, which included the addition of a culvert bridge, paving of parking areas and walkways, and the supply of appliances and linen.

“The budget was somewhat of a challenge, and the Matsila Trust had to raise additional funds to the tune of R1 million to finish off paving and add furniture,” said Matsila.

The project was ultimately completed at the end of 2024. Carrim told BusinessTech that a total of R34,485,726.48 was spent from the fiscus, or just over 12% below the budget of R39.72 million she cited.

This differs to the department’s 2025/26 APP, which noted that R36,646,756.60 had been spent: a R2.16 million deviation.

“The construction scope of work completed on this project was twelve standard tented chalets, four executive tented chalets, a restaurant, guardhouse, internal gravel road, and associated supporting infrastructure i.e. septic tanks, electrical reticulation and water reticulation,” said Carrim.

BusinessTech visit

The Matsila Game Lodge opened in January 2025 and has become a stopover for travellers heading to the Kruger.

Located in the middle of a village, the lodge caught BusinessTech’s attention for its unusual setting and functional design. Sixteen chalets, varying in size and amenities, have been built.

A central watering hole is a focal point, drawing wildlife such as giraffes, zebras, buffalo, nyala, and kudu, some of which President Ramaphosa donated.

A few of the more upscale chalets bear names honouring Chief Matsila and Ramaphosa, who also officiated the lodge’s opening.

Restaurants built by local community members are part of broader empowerment initiatives tied to the lodge’s development.

The idea, according to Matsila, is to embed a sense of community ownership in the project.

“It has been important to involve the community so that there is an entrenched ownership of this tourism asset, which generates jobs and economic opportunities for local people,” he said.

“The involvement of the community ensured that local people were employed during construction and post-construction,” adding that some local businesses still provide services.

Backlash and question marks

Questions from critics remain about budget overruns, discrepancies in expenditure, the awarding of the project, and the long-term sustainability

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille to conduct a comprehensive audit of all tourism projects initiated over the past ten financial years, regardless of their completion status.

“The department appears to be on a redundant path, doubling expenditure on the same projects,” said DA tourism spokesperson and MP Haseena Ismail.

“This begs the question: Why weren’t comprehensive financial feasibility studies conducted from the start to prevent such waste?” she added.

Her party has called for stronger procurement transparency laws, independent oversight of large tourism projects, regular audits and performance reviews, and strict consequence management tied to project funding.

Carrim told BusinessTech that the DoT “has governance structures in place to monitor the planning and implementation progress of the projects.”

“Detailed planning (guided by built environment norms and standards) supported by specialist studies where required, will inform the implementation of any future infrastructure projects.”

She added that the successful completion and operation of facilities like Matsila Lodge will help increase communities’ ownership and involvement in the tourism sector, assisting with job creation and economic growth.

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