Thrown into the spotlight
NEVER one to draw
attention to herself,
taking on the role
of director of sales and
marketing at City Lodge
Hotel Group has forced
Zuki Jantjies out of her
comfort zone and into the
spotlight.
However, with a
firm foundation in
communications and
branding and being
someone who is
especially results driven,
Zuki is well suited to the
new position.
An ideas person, Zuki
is also excited about
being on the executive
committee and having
input to, as well as
driving, City Lodge’s
strategy.
“Hospitality is new to me
and it’s a new challenge,”
she says.
Her ambition is to make
City Lodge a favourite
brand and a household
name, synonymous with
hotels, in the same way
‘Skip’ has become the
byword for detergent.
Heading up sales and
marketing for one of the
most prominent hotel
groups in sub-Saharan
Africa, Zuki has come a
long way from the small
township of her birth –
Kwa-Thema, south-west of
Springs on the East Rand,
Gauteng.
Her mother was a
nursing sister, who worked
shifts at a local clinic.
The shift work meant that
Zuki sometimes only saw
her briefly in the morning
before trotting off to
school.
Her father, a Human
Resources practitioner,
was a key influencer in
her life.
After completing a
business degree, her first
job was in HR. Her life
was also shaped by her
accounting teacher at
Tlakula High School, who
took a special interest in
her.
“Today I am very grateful
for the attention she gave
me,” says Zuki. She was
a diligent pupil and it’s
paid off.
As a child, she tried her
hand at tennis, but poor
sight in one eye (only
picked up later) meant
that she wasn’t much of a
star on the court. “I was
a bit blind and needed
glasses. I would think,
‘there’s the ball coming’,
but miss it.”
Where she did shine was
the dance floor. Zuki spent
afternoons and weekends
ballroom dancing at a
nearby clubhouse. She
still loves dancing today
and would like to go back
to ballroom dancing when
she finds the time.
Zuki found herself in
the travel industry by
chance but, as she loves
travelling, we can expect
her to stay. She started
working at Nampak after
university and it was at
a talk given by Coleman
Andrews, former ceo and
president of SAA, that her
interest in aviation was
sparked.
After six and a half
years at SAA, Zuki spent
seven years at SA Express
Airways in the customer
services portfolio, which
included product and
development, operations,
communications,
marketing, sales and
complaints.
Her belief that our paths
are already mapped out
for us has taught Zuki not
to fight for things.
“Things come to us at
the right place and at the
right time,” she says.
“I believe your path is
set already; you just have
to find a way of aligning
to it.” She says we evolve
if we allow ourselves
to open up. “There is a
bigger universe and what
you put in is what you get
back.”
Sharing her strategy
for bouncing back from
setbacks, Zuki says:
“I don’t take things
personally and I speak
about things.” She
doesn’t back away
from uncomfortable
conversations.
“Everybody has setbacks
and they are brought to us
for a reason,” she says.
“At times, we need those
setbacks to position us
so that we know where we
need to go.
Getting to know Zuki
Zuki is an avid reader.
The Blessed Girl by
Angela Makholwa
is currently on her
bedside table.
All things food appeal
to her: she loves
eating out, entertaining
friends and cooking.
She describes herself
as an intro-extrovert
because, although
she loves people and
getting to know what
makes them tick, she
doesn’t like to be the
centre of attention.
A regular church-goer,
Zuki is a spiritual
person who is guided
by her faith.
She has a 15-yearold
son, Vuyo, who,
like her, avoids the
spotlight. “He is my
world,” she says.
