MIDDELBURG — The removal of the Radisson sign from the R650 million hotel in Middelburg has drawn attention after it was replaced with signage for Destiny Exclusive Hotel and Convention Centre.
The change follows the termination of Radisson Hotel Group’s operating contract, according to Akani Properties Group chairman Zamani Letjane.
The Highveld Chronicle spoke to Letjane on the sidelines of the hotel’s grand opening on 4 September 2026 to clarify the transition.
Letjane said Radisson was only the operator of the hotel and that the investors had terminated its contract at the property.
“The transition was very quick because, remember, Radisson is only an operator. The hotel also has its own operator. So you don’t come in as an operator and invest money; you come in as an employee to run the hotel,” he said.
Letjane said some investors were unhappy with how Radisson managed the hotel, which contributed to the decision to terminate the contract.
“I was one of the investors who was not happy with the way Radisson was managing the hotel in Kempton Park. I think the financial management and controls were one of the aspects. They also failed to manage and even maintain the tools of trade,” he said.
He cited a transformer failure which he said forced the Kempton Park hotel to operate on diesel generators for about seven months.
“We had a transformer blow up, and it forced the hotel to run on diesel for almost seven months because there was no transformer. So you had to use diesel generators and so on. That is a cost. There were many other issues that the investors, or the shareholders, were not happy with in terms of the running of the hotel, hence the termination,” he said.
Letjane also alleged that Radisson attempted to stop the Middelburg hotel’s official opening through an urgent court application.
“For your information as well, they even tried to stop this event [the official opening] by going to court. Yes, they went to court on Tuesday the 3rd, and judgment and their application was dismissed. They had brought an interdict to stop the launch of this hotel,” he said.
The publication contacted Radisson Hotel Group for comment on the termination of its operating contract, Letjane’s allegations about the management of the hotel and the reported court application.
A right-of-reply request was sent by email on 8 September 2026 to Saadiyah Hendricks, Area Director for PR & Social Media. No response had been received at the time of going to press.
The allegations regarding Radisson’s management of the hotel and the reported court application therefore remain Letjane’s account.
