Bongani Mabala

I started in the hotel industry in 2007, my first job at a professional level with a company called Platinum Hospitality as a Houseman at Mount Nelson Hotel...

Crystal Towers - Candidate Bongani Mabala
"I then later moved on from Mount Nelson to Crystal Towers in 2010 as a Houseman. I later got promoted from Houseman to Public Area supervisor for the company, which was a very good achievement for me for someone that wanted to try it out in the industry of Hospitality.

The following year I was then promoted to Kitchen Supervisor that is where my passion for cooking and serving wines to guests started to unleash itself, I never knew I had it in myself. All thanks to the guidance of superiors around me. I was then later approached in 2014 by our Banqueting Department for a role in their department, which I grabbed with both hands. That’s when the passion for food and wine really kicked in and where I started to take wine and food very serious. A Chef once told me that food can talk. In 2015 I was then promoted to our in room dinning department where I was then entrusted with the Supervisor position, one year later (2016) I received another promotion to the Bar Department, that is where I’m still present.

We deal with a lot of international guests and as we all know tourists like to explore our vineyards and tasting our wines!  My love for wine is very vast knowing that wine is so sophisticated nowadays and that it can be paired with different food and seafood, that’s what makes it more interesting for me to love wine even more.

This competition will benefit me so much more and it will be an honour for me to learn more about wine.  I’m very excited for the challenge ahead I know that it’s not going to be easy but I am ready for this!” Says Bongani.