Meet Us

Gideon went to school at DF Malan High in Bellville and went on to study for a National Certificate in Hotel Management from Granger Bay Hotel School in 1999. He worked at various 5 Star boutique hotels and wine estates in South Africa but then spread his wings and spent time in Dublin, working at 4 Star historic hotels and in Galway at a 5 Star historic hotel for another two years, in various roles. Gideon has been with Village & Life since March 2006, starting as Assistant Front Office Manager and spends much of his off time enjoying the outdoors by camping and as a co-driver on 4x4 routes. He also appreciates his friends and family and has recently started to enjoy gardening and renovating his house in the Boland.

Henri grew up in North West province in Rustenburg. His family then relocated to Cape Town where he matriculated in 2007 at Bellville high. After he obtained his secondary diploma he went and studied his advanced diploma in hotel management and completed it in 2010. He did his in-service training at the Southern Sun hotel and Encore restaurant . After his studies he was employed by Village & Life as a hospitality officer at the Camps Bay Retreat, he has since been promoted to duty manager. Henri stays in Camps Bay and enjoys mountain biking and spending quality time with his friends and family.

Robyn grew up in Langebaan and attended Paarl Girls High School in the Boland as a boarder. After matric, she completed her diploma in professional cookery. She then worked at overture as head of pastry. After working there she opened a coffee shop in Langebaan before moving to Cape Town.  Robyn joined Village & Life at the beginning of February 2010 as the manager of The Charles before moving to the retreat as the Chef. She lives in Green point with her cat (Mawu) and enjoys water sports, art and all things cultural.

Kirstin grew up in the friendly city of Port Elizabeth where she matriculated from Collegiate Girls High School in 2001. After matric, she decided to move down to Cape Town with her fiancé where she attended the Cape Technikon Hotel School in Granger Bay. Since graduating in 2005, she has worked for some amazing properties and establishments, one being The Collection by Liz McGrath. Kirstin decided to join the Village & Life team in 2009. Kirstin enjoys spending her free time with her fiancé, family and friends relaxing and enjoying life. However, most of all she enjoys the time she gets to go back to the family home on the river and spend time with everyone.

Shiella is originally from the Village of Willowvale in the Eastern Cape. Upon completing her tertiary studies at Mposolo High School, she went to work in Butterworth in the Transkei at a knitting factory as a machinist, and later joined Val-Hau Clothing in Cape Town, in the same capacity. In 1999, Sheila met the owner of Village & Life and became a registered employee in 2000.  Mother and grandmother of two, respectively, Sheila is passionate about rugby and Gospel.

Diana was born and grew up in Zimbabwe. She matriculated at Hermain Gneiner High School. After matric she moved to South Africa where she started working as a nanny & housekeeper in Johannesburg in 2008. In 2009 she moved to Cape Town where she proceeded with the same job for another two years. During that time she completed courses that involved first aid training for kids and infants as well a nanny course. Diana joined Village & Life in April 2011 as a Housekeeper. Diana stays in Camps Bay with her husband Bernard who's also part of Village & Life. She is a mother of one and enjoys watching TV & reading novels.

Ayesha was born in Retreat, in Cape Town and matriculated in 2002 at Grassy Park High in Cape Town, completing a Certificate in Entrepreneurship the same year through College of Cape Town, as an extra matric subject. In 2002, Ayesha obtained a Diploma in Media Studies and Journalism at Rosebank College, Cape Town. She worked at various places and did a short internship at Glamour Magazine before joining Village & Life in November 2005. Ayesha started off as a receptionist at Camps Bay Retreat. She was part of The Bay Hotel reservations team and the sales department. Ayesha loves taking long bubble baths to unwind and enjoys spending time with her friends and family.

Craig's tennis playing background saw him ranked as the number one under 18 junior in South Africa, before leaving on a tennis scholarship to the University of Miami. There, he graduated with a Business Degree, and played on the tennis team where he was rated in the top Ten colleges in the U.S.A.

With years of experience he will be able to coach all age groups and levels of players. He also has two formal diplomas, which makes him as an internationally certified tennis instructor.

Dayyaan grew up in Westridge; Mitchell’s Plain and attended Westridge High School. After matric, he enrolled at Cape Peninsula University of Technology and studied towards a qualification in Internal Auditing. He pursued a career in accounting and worked at MWEB for over 3 years while studying part-time towards a qualification in Forensic Examinations at the University Of Western Cape. After working in accounting, he decided to work from home in the sales industry and submerged himself in personal development training and literature. Dayyaan joined Village & Life in May 2010 as the Hotel Accountant. He lives in Eerste River with his wife and coaches a senior cricket team; he is also a soccer fanatic whom supports Manchester United. Dayyaan plays baseball and was the Junior Western Province and South African Schools coach from 2001 – 2005.