Tour to Cape Town for Executive MBA Students

Arrival in Cape Town with airport meet and greet and transfers to hotel arranged. 

StudyLink's representives and the King's Business School faculty team had arrived a day earlier to prepare for the group and be on hand to welcome the students.  

After taking time to settle into the 4-star Southern Sun Hotel in central Cape Town, the group took a short coach ride with their local guide, who would accompany them all week. The drive along the breathtaking Cape Town Coastline took them to the 12 Apostles Hotel, set in the stunning Table Mountain National Park. 

Welcome drinks on arrival were followed by a 3-course dinner, during which the group heard from two guest speakers, both bringing lessons learned from Mandela’s leadership. One of whom was a former Senior Correctional Officer at Victor Verster Prison where Mandela was held for part of his sentence and from where he was finally released in 1990.

Morning visit to the District Six Museum, which honours the diverse community that thrived before its destruction under Apartheid. The visit involved an introduction and welcome from the Director of Education, followed by a personally guided tour around the museum and surrounding neighbourhood from District Six residents whose lives were turned upside down when 60,000 residents were forced to leave their homes. 

This was followed by lunch in Bo-Kaap, a colourful and historically rich neighbourhood that survived apartheid and saw many races and religions living together in peace. The restaurant offers Cape Malay cuisine, a result of the Malaysian slaves brought to Cape Town by the Dutch colonists in the 17th century. 

The group were then hosted in the afternoon by an award-winning Fair Trade in Tourism non-profit organisation. Their Philanthropic Educational Excursions provide authentic and respectful visits to a wide range of inspiring community township projects including school projects, with eco buildings built from tyres and plastic waste. As well as meeting builders, teachers and pupils the group gained a deeper understanding of the government barriers and the desperate need to upskill local residents to help develop their local facilities and provide them with employment.  

The group finished the day at a community garden producing food for the local townships and selling to local affluent suburbs and hotels, where they were greeted with a performance by the Khayelitsha Youth Choir. The voices of hopeful youth were an incredible end to an emotionally charged day and created lifetime learning and memories for the students. 

In the evening, the group had pre-paid vouchers provided for dinner at the hotel restaurants and then free time to explore the local area or enjoy the hotel pool and spa facilities. The popular V&A waterfront with shops and bars was just a few minutes by free shuttle from the hotel.

A short coach ride from the hotel the SANNCOB Penguin Sanctuary is working to reverse the decline in seabird populations and rehabilitate ill, injured and abandoned seabirds. The behind the scenes tour, including Penguin feeding and a detailed presentation of their work, allowed students to gain an understanding into the planning, strategy and fundraising that is required behind such an operation.  

After a quick stop for an exceptional view of Table Mountain at the beautiful Dolphin beach, the group transferred to the Cape Town Station and the luxury rail operator Rovos Rail. Since its establishment in 1989, Rovos Rail has earned an international reputation for its truly world-class travel experiences across some of Africa’s most iconic destinations. The group were welcomed into the passenger lounge and enjoyed a taste of the Rovos luxury experience with welcome drinks and a delicate buffet of stylish savoury and sweet canapes. The COO then provided a tour of the carriages and an in depth understanding of the challenges that the small family business has encountered operating within the infrastructure of multiple African counties. The executive insight was both personal and informative as she shared the journey to recover post covid as well as the strategies and innovations required to maintain a luxury brand and develop future business growth.  

The group had an evening at leisure, with meal vouchers provided for dinner at the hotel.  

Morning session was hosted in the hotel conference suite with a guest speaker, an Executive Director at GrowZA Social Investment Agency. The students were provided with an interactive social Entrepreneurship Masterclass creating a dynamic exploration and exchange of ideas on what it means to lead in a world shaped by uncertainty, urgency and opportunity allowing the group to test their problem solving skills by addressing local challenges using ESG aligned principles. 

Lunch was provided at the hotel or as a packed lunch for those who opted for the optional Robben Island excursion . 

An hour boat trip across to the island from the V&A Waterfront took the group to Robben Island. Robben Island is visited every year by tens of thousands of people eager to understand and honour the important aspects of South Africa’s history that the Island represents. It famously housed Nelson Mandela for 18 years of his 27 year imprisonment and the tour is guided by former prisoners.  

The group had an evening at leisure, with meal vouchers provided for dinner at the hotel. 

A short walk from the hotel, the V&A Waterfront Cruise Terminal is an important gateway to Cape Town, with over 100,000 cruise passengers arriving into the port each year. The Cruise Terminal Manager gave a tour and insights to the strategic location, world class reputation and vital role of the modern purpose built cruise terminal on the region’s tourism. He also shared their strategies for achieving sustainable growth whilst protecting the city’s natural beauty and long term prosperity in an ever evolving market. A three course lunch was arranged for the group at the famous Beluga sea food restaurant, right in the heart of the terminal and overlooking the bustling port. 

The afternoon visit was a short coach ride away, in the heart of the business district of the city where the Salt Digital Recruitment Agency Management team welcomed the group into their Cape Town Offices. They shared their journey as a global recruitment leader and the session created in-depth discussions about the challenges, opportunities and unique dynamics of operating in South Africa.  

The group spent the evening at leisure with meal vouchers provided for dinner at the hotel. 

The morning was spent at leisure to enjoy Cape Town’s abundance of visits, attractions and landmarks.  

Mid afternoon the group set off to a Boutique Winery, located in the Franschhoek Valley, the scenic winelands of the Western Cape Province. 

Before wine tasting and a vineyard tour the group heard from the owner on how the farm stands as a testament to resilience, heritage and hope, as its journey to becoming the only thriving all black owned wine estate breaks down barriers steeped in tradition and changing consumer behaviours. 

A farewell dinner, accompanied with beautiful wines, was served at the restaurant in the stunning grounds of the vineyard before boarding the coach for the journey back to the hotel. 

Check out of hotel and return flights to UK. Some students and faculty staying on to extend their stay. For those with evening flights there was opportunity to take the cable car up Table Mountain.