About Us
About Us
The Baobab is the premier student accommodation provider in Cape Town
OUR STORY
The Baobab is a student accommodation provider in Cape Town, South Africa. We started our student accommodation business by renovating a derelict warehouse building in Salt River. We converted that property into 42 bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms, and we opened as The Baobab Student Accommodation in July 2010.
Our intention was to provide safe, comfortable and affordable accommodation to students from across our continent who struggled to find welcoming student accommodation in Cape Town. Today, we have grown to 5 student properties across 3 suburbs noted for their large student population – Salt River, Observatory and Mowbray.
We provide accommodation that is ideally located, close to the public transport network (walking distance to the train station and taxis), tertiary institutions, and the shops. Whatever you need– it’s all a short walk away from any of our properties.
We are a proudly African focused company with the majority of our tenants coming from across the 9 provinces of South Africa and other African countries. We pride ourselves on welcoming both full-year students and short-term interns from all over the world, but the majority of our tenants are from our continent of Africa.
MEET THE TEAM
Pictured above is our team along with a few of our business partners at our Christmas Lunch 2019.
We also use external service providers, and we bring in casual staff as and when required.
Pictured below are members of our core team, who are responsible for the day-to-day running of The Baobab Student Accommodation
Rasagee Pillay
Founder and Director
Rasagee comes from a consulting background. She ventured forth as an entrepreneur in 2003, and has not looked back since. In 2006, Rasagee bought her first property for a consulting project which subsequently fell through. She identified a gap in the market for student accommodation which is safe and affordable, and welcoming to students from all backgrounds, and so The Baobab Student Accommodation was born. The first property rapidly grew to a portfolio of 5 properties in the Salt River, Observatory and Mowbray areas. Rasagee currently straddles both a role in IT consulting, and oversight of the student accommodation business. She prides herself on her strong customer ethic and a deep commitment to staff development.
Lumka Ntoyakhe
General Administrator, Head of Cleaning
Lumka started with The Baobab in 2016, and has worked her way to this position. Lumka has recently successfully completed training in Project Management, Digital Literacy, Business Communication and Entrepreneurship. Lumka’s business-like approach, combined with her friendly personality, makes her popular with students, parents and staff, and an invaluable member of our team.
Nokuthula Hoza
Receptionist, Cleaner
Nokuthula has been a committed member of our team since 2016. She started as a cleaner, and now splits her time between reception duties and cleaning. She works primarily at our office at 441 Main Road in Observatory. Nokuthula’s warm personality has made her a hit with students and staff alike
Joel Chiyangwa
Head of Maintenance
Joel has worked at the Baobab since early 2019. Joel manages maintenance across all the properties owned by The Baobab. Joel is a self-motivated person who works hard and learns fast. His polite manner makes him a winner with customers, and his commitment to work is an inspiration to everyone who works with him. Adding Joel to The Baobab team has been a game changer for us.
SIKHO GQIBA
Marketing and Admin Assistant
Rasagee met Sikho when he was the barista at The African Way Coffee Shop. She identified him as someone with the personality, ambition and drive which makes him ideal for client-facing work. Over the time they spent working together at The Baobab Ideas Lab, she observed Sikho’s eagerness to learn and grow. When the coffee shop closed, Rasagee grabbed the opportunity to offer Sikho a permanent position at The Baobab Student Accommodation. After 12 months in training, Sikho has transitioned into his new role as our Marketing and Admin Assistant, and he does an admirable job of representing The Baobab. With an outgoing personality, big dreams, and the ability to make anyone laugh, Sikho has found a home at the Baobab Student Accommodation, and we hope he continues to grow with us.
Norman Williams
Former Caretaker at 377 Lower Main Road
Rasagee “inherited” Norman with her first property, 377 Lower Main Road. He has lived in that property for almost 3 decades. Norman is an institution in the Salt River area. He has looked after the property and kept our students who lived there safe over many years. He also helped us grow from our first property to the many we now own and manage under different brands. Norman has officially retired, but continues to live with us, because he is a part of The Baobab family, and we represent family and home to him.
Silvester Muraputa
Handyman’s Assistant
Silvester is a new member to our team. He works with Joel and helps him with all maintenance work. Having an assistant for Joel helps us keep the turnaround time on maintenance requests surprisingly low, which keeps our customers happy.