JOHANNESBURG, June 30, 2025: City Lodge Hotels (CLH), in partnership with Sigma International and the SATSA Tourism Business Incubator, proudly announces the launch of Year 4 of its transformative Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) programme – a journey marked by deep impact, innovation, and inclusion.

This milestone reflects not just the continuation of a programme, but a celebration of its intentional impact on lives, businesses, and communities. To date, the programme has supported 47 tourism-focused SMMEs across South Africa, providing them with hands-on, tailored business development support and facilitating meaningful access to the hospitality sector’s procurement value chain.

“As we reflect on this journey, we are not merely ticking compliance boxes – we are acknowledging the journey of transformation. Our commitment to inclusive growth is rooted in action, outcomes, and the belief that entrepreneurship is the heartbeat of a sustainable economy. Being intentional about our commitment has reinforced our success and the positive milestones we have seen our ESD partners achieve,” says Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, Chief Operating Officer of City Lodge Hotels.

At the heart of the programme’s success lies a blended incubator approach, combining business development support with operational enablement based on the unique needs of each SMME. Delivered through Sigma International’s 17 professional staff and a network of over 30 partners (nationally and globally), this support ecosystem has proven to be a winning formula.

The programme is ISO 9001:2015 quality-assured, integrating both human-centred and AI-driven tools to help entrepreneurs build resilient, future-ready businesses. From training webinars and management accounts to branding, equipment grants, marketing development, business linkages and digital transformation support, the intervention is as practical as it is powerful.

What makes the CLH approach truly distinctive is its integration with hotel operations. General managers from the group’s 55 hotels located in South Africa (it also has one property each in Windhoek, Namibia; Gaborone, Botswana; and Maputo Mozambique) nominate beneficiaries and play an active role in mentorship and development, creating a business support experience that is both embedded and empowering.

“We're championing a new kind of supplier development, one that is deeply integrated, practical, and geared towards long-term sustainability. Watching our suppliers grow and diversify is deeply rewarding. It’s not just about today’s contracts, but about helping build tomorrow’s resilient and sustainable businesses. We also want to see the SMMEs that we partner with scaling up and growing into companies that have a national footprint, and are hopefully global entities one day,” adds Lindiwe. As a B-BBEE Level 1 Contributor, City Lodge Hotels management places a lot of importance on the growth of the ESD businesses they work with, as this is included in revenue and employment.

The programme continues to encourage digitalisation, the use of AI, diversification, and self-empowerment, preparing entrepreneurs for a future economy. As procurement value continues to grow, CLH and its partners celebrate the economic returns and the human stories and community impact that come from building sustainable businesses that pay it forward in an intentional manner.

This fourth year represents more than continuation – it is a reflection point and a call to action for others in the sector. By "journaling the journey," CLH invites the broader industry and ecosystem stakeholders to walk alongside in creating an inclusive, empowered tourism economy, one entrepreneur at a time.

About City Lodge Hotels

City Lodge Hotels is a proudly South African hospitality company with 58 hotels across Southern Africa. It has four distinct brands that cater to a variety of price points: Courtyard Hotel, City Lodge Hotel, Town Lodge, and Road Lodge. It is committed to inclusive economic growth and actively drives supplier development, procurement transformation, and sustainability across its value chain. Through its partnership with Sigma International and SATSA, City Lodge Hotels invests in building resilient, empowered tourism enterprises that contribute to national development.

About SATSA Tourism Business Incubator

The SATSA Tourism Business Incubator is a strategic initiative of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA), focused on accelerating the development of tourism SMMEs across the region. The incubator model provides tailored support, mentorship, and market access to help entrepreneurs grow viable, sustainable businesses within the tourism value chain.

About Sigma International

Sigma International is an award-winning Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) and ESG impact company with over 22 years of experience in delivering high-impact, ISO 9001:2015 aligned programmes. Through a blended model of business and operational development support, Sigma empowers SMMEs to thrive within corporate value chains and national priority sectors such as tourism, energy, and agriculture.