After twenty year’s of slow and dedicated development, Ant’s Mountain Retreat in the Cederberg has burnt down to the ground. Help us raise the funds to make it live again!
Ant’s Cederberg-Fire- Relief Fund
My name is Anthony Mlungisi Baker. I am the founder and owner of Cafe Ganesh in Observatory, Cape Town (1995). Most frequent guests of Cafe Ganesh who have gotten to know me, will have also come to know of the Retreat I have slowly been building up over the years in small increments from the extra savings I have been blessed to receive via my little Cafe.
Unfortunately this long term dream suffered a rather large setback when, on the 21st of December 2016 a tsunami-like fire swept down the valley of Niks-is-Nodig in the Cederberg, and destroyed two thirds of twenty-year’s worth of love and hard, dedicated labour, in a matter of hours. Since most of my life`s savings went into building this Retreat, it cannot be rebuilt without fresh capital injection. Your generous donation, large or small, can help bring the `Niks-is-Nodig Mountain Retreat` back to life and enable yourself, and the many past and future guests, to enjoy the beauty, peace and stillness of this fabulous remote location.
BEFORE PICTURES
AFTER THE FIRE:
These were the water tanks.
My hopes from this campaign are divided into 3 milestones:
MILESTONE 1 ; R50 000 ( the tipping point)
This amount is the tipping point. If I do not reach this amount all backers contributions will be refunded.
Reaching this amount will at least allow me the opportunity to replace and re-install the water tanks, the water pump and the solar panels that run it, and the pipes from the water source to the tanks and back down to the house.
MILESTONE 2 ; R100 000
This amount will get the above and allow me to replace the beams and roofs of 2 of the rooms destroyed by the fire. Possibly, it will also afford me a chance to repair the walls and replace some of the windows, doors, lintels, furniture, kitchen equipment and other smalls.
MILESTONE 3 ; R200 000
This is my ultimate dream scenario, and with this amount I would come close to getting the Retreat back to where it was before the fire, even possibly, including the almost indispensable Workshop and the equipment that was lost inside it. Of course, any amount over R100 000 will bring me closer and closer to getting the place back to a viable renting concern for future guests.
Whilst I have accepted this tragic situation, I firmly believe in the value of rebuilding it. It just cannot be done AGAIN over 20 years, in tiny incremental trips.
Anthony doesn’t like to speak about himself – so here goes …
He is quiet, resilient, compassionate, and strong. His restaurant/bar – Café Ganesh, in Observatory, Cape Town is a rarity in a bigoted and hypocritical country. Running for 21 years, Ganesh has amped the fantasy of human connection. Fair trade defines Anthony’s management of his workers and customers. EVERYONE feels at home. When Steve Bantu Biko declared that Africa would give the world a human face he didn’t mean a black or white, or straight or transgendered face. Anthony’s Ganesh and his Niks-is-Nodig Cederberg Retreat are those rare places that give Africa its human face.
-Ashraf Jamal, 22 Feb 2017