Hello everyone, and a warm welcome to our many new members who have joined since December last year:
| Mangaliso MasilelaMbali MabuzaSinakekelwe MaileniMusa MotsaZenele SibandzeNkosimayibuse MavusoSandile Mdlovu Ayanda MyeniJames ToddStanislav DembinskiGeorge and Gita WelchAlexander MartinsLindani DlaminiNomvuyo HlopheSkhile KhumaloCollin Malaza | Steven MalingaMusa and Waheeda Masinga Gcina MatsebulaPhil MnisiBeloved & Nomhle MupfururirwaSiboniso NkambuleThabiso NzuzaJeff Pennington & Alice ZwerlingWandile ThwalaNega GebreyesusSimilo KhumaloLynn KotaZolile Shabangu & Mpheyfo ShabalalaGrace Hansen & Christopher WallHloniphile Simelane |
We now have 331 members.
Announcements
• Membership cards and parking discs for 2023-24 are still available for you to collect at reception. For new members there are blank cards, and your membership number can be found on the member’s list pinned to the notice board or online at https://mbabaneclub.co.sz/members-area/members/. Please carry your card because you may occasionally be asked to show it.
Events
- Wednesday 27 March 2024 – Quiz Night hosted by Peter Dixon. Test your general knowledge. Teams of four. Supper available. Starts at 7pm. Contact Sarah Dixon on 7645 1495 to enter.
- Friday 12 April – Karaoke party night. From 6pm with happy hour complimentary snack. Come along and sing your heart out!
Sports
- Golf. Regular Friday Leg of Lamb and Saturday competitions. Contact the golf captain Moses Masilela by WhatsApp on 7631 3177 for entries.
- Tennis. Regular social tennis every Saturday from 2.30pm.
- Squash. During popular times – Monday to Thursday 5-7pm – remember to book your slot, because the courts are getting busier.
- Gym. Members are eligible for a 30% discount on gym fees.
Club Management
For the benefit of our many new members and as a reminder to all, here is a summary of how the club operates. The club is owned by its members and run as a non-profit organization. There is a General Committee responsible for the management of the club who are overseen by a Board of Trustees. Day-to-day management is carried out by a private company that leases the Millin Restaurant and the gym. All staff are employed by the management company who pay utility costs and operate and retain the profits from the bar. The sporting facilities are managed by members and a small additional fee is charged for the use of sports facilities, except the swimming pool, for maintenance purposes. Our main outgoings are property rates, insurance, maintenance, and capital improvements.
Capital Improvements
Improvements to club facilities are long overdue, and now that we are back on a stable financial footing (see the chart at https://mbabaneclub.co.sz/members-area/financial/), various improvements are being planned. These include further re-upholstery of furniture, painting, and renovation of the bar area. The feasibility of installing a padel tennis court is currently being explored. Major capital projects are not envisaged until such time as we have clarity from Mbabane City Council about their plans for redevelopment of the Prince of Wales field and Coronation Park and what this may mean for the club site.
Miscellany
That’s it for now, and nothing to report about the relocation of the golf course because we haven’t heard back from the city council about this, but we have heard from them about our objection to the 36% increase in our rates bill, and a meeting is being arranged.
Please sign up to join the Club’s WhatsApp group to receive announcements. You can join via a request to ‘Mbabane Club Members’.