BY NELIWE NGUBANE
EZULWINI – For some, the Royal Swazi Spa was a luxury resort. For others, it was Sunday lunch after church, swimming until sunset, making new friends by the pool and disappearing into the game room until worried parents came looking.
Now, news that the iconic Ezulwini Valley resort is expected to reopen before the end of December has stirred excitement among people whose childhood memories are intertwined with the property, bringing back stories of family outings, delicious buffet lunches and carefree days spent playing around the resort.
The reopening was confirmed by Tibiyo TakaNgwane Managing Director Dr Absalom Themba Dlamini, following a partnership with the Public Service Pensions Fund (PSPF) aimed at bringing the Royal Swazi Spa back to life.
But beyond the announcement, the excitement is being felt in a much more personal way.
For former visitors, the Royal Swazi is not simply a building waiting to reopen. It is a place filled with memories.
One such person is Tiyandza Ndlela, whose childhood Sundays were often spent at the Royal Swazi with her family.
For Ndlela, the resort was part of what made Sundays special. After church, her mother would take the children there for lunch, where a buffet awaited them.
“Royal Swazi was a family place for us. After church on Sundays, my mother would take us there for lunch. There was a food buffet, and oh my word, the food was so delicious to me. It was one of those places where you knew you were going to have a good day. After eating, we would go swimming and play with other kids by the poolside.” Ndlela recalled.
And the day did not end at the swimming pool.
For Ndlela and her siblings, the game room was another world of its own.
“The game room, oh my word! We used to play games until late and our parents would start searching for us. We would be having so much fun that we did not even realise how much time had passed. Those are the memories I have of Royal Swazi – family, food, swimming, games and just being a child.” she said.
It is memories such as these that have given the reopening announcement an emotional dimension.
Since the news broke, social media has been buzzing with people reminiscing about their own experiences at the resort, turning online platforms into a collection of Royal Swazi memories.
Some remember family lunches. Others remember celebrations, weekends away, swimming, golf, spa visits or simply dressing up and feeling as though they were somewhere special.
That nostalgia is rooted in what the Royal Swazi Spa offered.
Opened in 1965, the resort developed into much more than a place to sleep. Historically, it brought together accommodation, restaurants and bars, a swimming pool, golf, a health spa, tennis, horse riding, entertainment facilities and a casino, creating an environment where an entire day could be spent without needing to leave the property.
A visitor could begin the day slowly, taking in the Ezulwini Valley and mountain scenery before enjoying breakfast and deciding how to spend the hours ahead.
Families could gather around the swimming pool while golfers headed towards the 18-hole championship course. Others could choose the health spa, tennis courts, horse riding or simply relax in the gardens.
As afternoon turned into evening, the mood could change. A day of swimming, games and outdoor activities could give way to dinner, drinks and entertainment, with adults able to experience the casino and nightlife associated with the resort.
That combination is perhaps what made Royal Swazi so memorable.
It was not necessarily one particular attraction that kept people coming back. It was the feeling of having an entire experience in one place.
For children such as Ndlela, it was a playground. For parents, it was a family outing. For visitors, it was a hospitality destination. For Eswatini, it became one of the country’s most recognisable tourism landmarks.
Its golf course also attracted internationally known players, including Ernie Els and John Daly, while the resort hosted national events, private functions, conventions, banquets and sporting occasions.
PSPF Chief Executive Officer Masotja Vilakati described the hotel as a beacon of hospitality and a symbol of Eswatini’s ability to welcome visitors from across the world.
However, that chapter eventually went quiet.
Financial difficulties, ownership disputes and liquidation contributed to years of reduced operations, leaving a property that had once been full of activity largely silent.
“We all know the years that followed were not easy ones. Doors that once opened wide were closed. Grounds that once welcomed thousands of guests a year fell quiet,” Vilakati said.
Now, those doors are expected to open again.
The reopening is being framed not simply as the return of an old hotel, but as an opportunity to restore activity to a landmark that has historically supported a much wider tourism network.
Tour operators, guides, drivers, chefs, event workers and surrounding businesses could all benefit from increased activity if the resort returns to its former role as a major destination.
Vilakati credited Tibiyo TakaNgwane for making the PSPF’s involvement possible and said the collaboration was aimed at relighting a beacon for the country’s tourism industry.
“This is a renewal – a chance to take everything the Royal Swazi once was and build on it with everything we have learned since,” he said.
For the people who remember the resort, however, renewal means something deeply personal.
It means the possibility of walking through those gates again and seeing a place that once formed part of their family stories.
It means parents may once again bring their children for a Sunday outing, families may gather for meals, visitors may spend an afternoon beside the pool, and a new generation may discover the same excitement that once kept children like Ndlela playing until their parents came searching.
The Royal Swazi’s return, therefore, is not only about reopening rooms.
It is about reopening memories.
And if the excitement already filling social media is anything to go by, many people are ready to make new ones.
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