From Kruger’s Kitchen to Madiba’s Table: An Iconic Food Journey

 

The Collaboration

Sanctuary Mandela has partnered with Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge — our sister property based in the Kruger National Park – and with Chef Wandile Mabaso, one of South Africa’s most respected chefs in contemporary African cuisine, to create From Kruger’s Kitchen to Madiba’s Table: An Iconic Food Journey.

The result is a two-night dining experience: intimate, communal, deeply rooted in the stories of both places and in the life of the man whose values set the standard for everything this house does.

 

The Menu

Six courses. Each one connected to one of the three collaborating voices — Sanctuary Mandela, Kruger Shalati and Chef Wandile Mabaso. Each one rooted in a story worth sitting with. The menu moves between bush and city, between the wild and the cultivated — between the dishes Madiba himself appreciated and the landscapes that have shaped South Africa’s identity. It draws on indigenous ingredients, a kitchen in Houghton, the vast skies of the Lowveld and the creative language of contemporary African cuisine. Wine pairing is included throughout, selected in partnership with Boschendal. The full details of each course are best discovered at the table.

 

The Chefs

Chef Wandile Mabaso is joined in this collaboration by two colleagues whose own kitchens shape the evening as much as his does. Soweto-born and Paris-trained at Le Meurice under Alain Ducasse, Chef Wandile was nominated by Ducasse as ambassador of French Cuisine to South Africa, named Chef of the Year at the Luxe Restaurant Awards, and has cooked for world leaders at events including the BRICS summit. His culinary identity — rigorous in technique, deeply South African in spirit — is the creative force at the centre of this menu.

 

Chef Mordecai Brauns, Head Chef at Insights, brings a kitchen that is already one of Johannesburg’s most celebrated: rated the highest restaurant in Gauteng on DinePlan with a 4.8 rating, and built on a culinary tradition established within this very kitchen and rooted directly in the specific tastes Madiba was known to enjoy. Having been part of the Sanctuary Mandela kitchen since 2021 — first as Sous Chef, now as Head Chef — Chef Mordecai carries an intimate familiarity with this house that runs through everything he cooks. Insights is open to the public as well as to in-house guests, and its Dine Like Madiba experience has made it the home of Madiba’s culinary legacy in Johannesburg.

 

Chef Vusi Mbatha, Executive Chef across the Kruger Station and Kruger Shalati precinct, has spent over a decade building a culinary philosophy entirely rooted in the landscape around him. His Kruger to Fork approach sources almost everything within thirty kilometres of the lodge — through an on-site garden, local farmers and foraged indigenous ingredients including morogo, imifino and amasi — producing menus that are authentically South African and refined for a discerning global guest.

 

Three chefs, three kitchens, one evening — each bringing their own voice to a shared table.

 

The Evenings

Two evenings only. Guest have the choice of the eve of Madiba’s birthday – 17 July or on the day that marks his birthday: 18 July — a confluence of partners, occasion and place that asks to be experienced rather than read about.

Guests arrive from 18:00 to welcome drinks and a guided heritage tour of the home. The evening then moves to the table — six courses, wine pairing, and the stories behind each dish told as they arrive. The night unfolds at its own pace, unhurried, the way evenings at this house always have been.

17 July   Public dinner | Limited seats | Arrival from 18:00  BOOK NOW

18 July   Mandela Day dinner | Limited seats | Arrival from 18:00  BOOK NOW

Tickets   R2500 per person includes:
– Six-course dinner experience
– Wine pairing
– Welcome drink
– Heritage Tour of Sanctuary Mandela

 

Skills Development

From Kruger’s Kitchen to Madiba’s Table embraces one of Mandela’s most enduring convictions: that education is the most powerful tool available for creating change. A dedicated skills development programme runs alongside the collaboration — providing mentorship, training and hands-on learning opportunities for aspiring chefs and hospitality professionals, and creating a platform for emerging talent to gain exposure to world-class culinary and hospitality practice.

This dinner is more than it appears. As part of the Motsamayi Chef Collaboration Series, Kruger Shalati and Chef Wandile Mabaso are building toward something further — and guests at this dinner will be the first to hear what comes next.

 

Bookings

17 JULY   and   18 JULY

Tel: +27 (0)10 035 0368
WhatsApp: +27(0)78 641 6061
Email: info@sanctuarymandela.com

Seating each evening is limited. This is two nights only — on Madiba’s birthday, in a year of this significance.

We look forward to welcoming you home.

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is From Kruger’s Kitchen to Madiba’s Table: An Iconic Food Journey?
It is an exclusive two-night dining experience taking place on 17 and 18 July 2026 at Sanctuary Mandela — the former Houghton home of Nelson Mandela — in honour of what would have been Madiba’s 108th birthday and the centenary of Kruger National Park. The evening brings together Sanctuary Mandela, Kruger Shalati and Chef Wandile Mabaso for a six-course dinner that travels between the wild and the city, between heritage and contemporary African cuisine.

 

Who are the chefs?
Three chefs collaborate on the menu: Chef Wandile Mabaso, Chef Mordecai Brauns of Sanctuary Mandela’s Insights restaurant, and Chef Vusi Mbatha, Executive Chef at Kruger Shalati. Each chef contributes their own voice to the menu, with every course rooted in the story of one of the three collaborating partners.

 

Who is Chef Wandile Mabaso?
Born and raised in Soweto, Chef Wandile Mabaso is one of South Africa’s most compelling culinary figures. He trained at Le Meurice in Paris — a two-MICHELIN-starred restaurant — under the legendary Alain Ducasse, who subsequently nominated him as ambassador of French Cuisine to South Africa. In 2018 he returned home and opened Les Créatifs in Bryanston, Johannesburg, where he combines rigorous French technique with indigenous South African ingredients. Named Chef of the Year at the Luxe Restaurant Awards, he has cooked for world leaders including President Cyril Ramaphosa and at the BRICS summit. His cooking is South African at its core, expressed through world-class technique.

 

Who is Chef Mordecai Brauns?
Chef Mordecai Brauns is Head Chef at Insights, the restaurant within Sanctuary Mandela. He has been part of the Sanctuary Mandela kitchen since 2021 — first as Sous Chef, progressing to Head Chef in May 2024 — and carries an intimate familiarity with this house, its history and the specific tastes it honours. Trained at JHB Culinary & Pastry School with a Diploma in Patisserie, and with a career spanning fine dining environments across Johannesburg and the Eastern Cape, the Dine Like Madiba menu is built on the belief that food can preserve stories, connect people and create moments that linger long after the last bite. Insights has been rated one of the highest restaurants in Gauteng on DinePlan with a 4.8 guest rating, and ranked among the top 25 restaurants in South Africa in 2024.

 

Who is Chef Vusi Mbatha?
Chef Vusi Blessing Mbatha is Executive Chef across the Kruger Station and Kruger Shalati precinct, with over a decade of progressive culinary leadership in luxury hotels, boutique properties and destination dining. He is the creative force behind Kruger Shalati’s celebrated Kruger to Fork philosophy — sourcing almost everything within thirty kilometres of the lodge, working with an on-site garden and local farmers, and drawing indigenous ingredients such as morogo, imifino, amasi and Mongongo nuts into menus that are authentically South African and refined for a global stage. A graduate of the International Hotel School with City & Guilds of London qualifications, he further completed a Management Development Programme at the University of Stellenbosch Business School in 2024. His belief is simple: that a meal, like a game drive, should hold the same sense of discovery.

 

What is included in the ticket price, and what if I don’t drink alcohol?
Your R2 500 per person ticket includes a welcome drink on arrival, a guided heritage tour of Sanctuary Mandela, a six-course dinner and wine pairing selected in partnership with Boschendal. The ticket price remains the same whether or not you take the wine pairing — guests who prefer not to drink alcohol will be guided by our team on thoughtful non-alcoholic pairings to complement each course.

 

How do I book?
Bookings are made via DinePlan — via the booking links on this page.
Alternatively you can contact Sanctuary Mandela directly at info@sanctuarymandela.com, call +27 10 035 0368 or WhatsApp +27 78 641 6061.

 

Is this a seated dinner or a standing event?
It is a fully seated dinner. Guests are seated at shared communal tables — a deliberate choice that honours the way Madiba believed meals should be taken: as a shared act, in good company.

 

What time does the evening begin and end?
Arrival is from 18:00. The evening is unhurried by design and closes at approximately 22:30.

 

Is the event suitable for vegetarians or guests with dietary requirements?
The kitchen will do its best to accommodate dietary requirements with advance notice. Please indicate your requirements at the time of booking or email info@sanctuarymandela.com ahead of your visit. It is particularly important that any food allergies are disclosed at the time of booking so the kitchen can make the necessary arrangements to ensure your safety and enjoyment of the evening.

 

What is the dress code?
There is no formal dress code, but guests are encouraged to dress in keeping with the occasion — smart casual to elegant. This is an evening in a house of significance; dress as you would for a dinner that matters.

 

Can I buy a ticket for someone else or transfer my booking?
Tickets may be purchased as a gift. However, bookings are tied to the guest name provided at the time of reservation — please contact Sanctuary Mandela directly if you need to make a change to guest details.

 

What is Insights restaurant, and is it open to the public?
Insights is the in-house restaurant at Sanctuary Mandela, open to the public as well as to guests staying at the property. Its Dine Like Madiba experience honours the dishes and traditions of Madiba’s own table, crafted by Chef Mordecai Brauns. Reservations can be made directly through Sanctuary Mandela.

 

What is Sanctuary Mandela?
Sanctuary Mandela is the former Houghton home of Nelson Mandela, located at 4 13th Avenue, Johannesburg. A nine-room boutique hotel and living memorial, it has been a space of reflection, legacy and thoughtful hospitality — stewarded with the precision and care that the house, and the man who lived in it, deserve.

 

What is Kruger Shalati?
Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge is unlike any safari lodge on the continent. Permanently stationed on the historic Selati Bridge above the Sabie River in Kruger National Park, it is a place where heritage, landscape and human connection converge. Honoured with two MICHELIN Keys and voted South Africa’s Leading Safari Lodge at the 2025 World Travel Awards, Kruger Shalati continues to redefine what it means to encounter Africa.

 

Will there be more events like this?
From Kruger’s Kitchen to Madiba’s Table is the inaugural dinner in the Motsamayi Chef Collaboration Series. Guests at this dinner will also be among the first to hear about what Kruger Shalati and Chef Wandile Mabaso are developing next — details of which will be shared during the evening itself.

 

Where is Sanctuary Mandela?
Sanctuary Mandela is located at 4 13th Avenue, Houghton, Johannesburg. Parking is available on site.

 

What connects Sanctuary Mandela and Kruger Shalati?
Both properties are part of the Motsamayi Tourism Group — a shared home that makes this collaboration feel less like a partnership between strangers and more like family setting a table together. Beyond that shared ownership, the two properties are connected by something deeper: a commitment to experiences that carry meaning beyond hospitality. Sanctuary Mandela is a living memorial to Nelson Mandela’s values, rooted in the heart of Johannesburg. Kruger Shalati sits at the heart of one of the world’s great conservation landscapes, in a national park marking its centenary. In 2026 — the year Madiba would have turned 108 and Kruger turns 100 — bringing these two places together around a shared table felt not just fitting, but necessary.