A Tribute to Gladson Kaderu
The Face of Mount Ceder
Gladson Kaderu came to Mount Ceder in the Cederberg Mountains in September 2009 and became, for many guests, the face of the place. As he begins a new chapter focused on his family and his health, the Vorster family and his colleagues look back on what he gave it.
There are people who work at a place, and then there are people who become part of its story. For more than 30 years, Gladson Kaderu has been part of the Vorster family story, and for those who knew him and worked with him, it is almost impossible to think of Mount Ceder without thinking of him.
“I’ve had the privilege of knowing Gladson for 30 years,” says Karen Vorster. “He was never just a colleague; he was a dear friend and very much the face of Mount Ceder.”
That face, of course, came with a smile. A big, warm, unmistakable smile that has greeted generations of guests, brightened countless days and became almost as much a part of Mount Ceder as the mountains themselves.
Gladson’s own story began in Malawi. He came to South Africa to work in the mines, spending time in the gold mines of the Free State before moving to a quartzite mine in the Northern Cape. From there, his working life took him into hospitality, eventually leading him to the Cederberg.
He arrived at Mount Ceder in September 2009, though his connection with the family stretched back much further. What began as a job became a life, and over the years he became one of those people who simply belonged there.
Perhaps that is because Gladson understood that hospitality is about far more than just doing a job. “It’s not looking after people,” he would say. It’s just making them feel at home.”
It is a simple philosophy, but anyone who has met Gladson knows how naturally he lived it.
“Favourite thing working here at Mount Ceder is getting to meet different people,” he told me. Guests came from all walks of life, from all over the world, and Gladson enjoyed the encounters. “It’s, you sort of find your soul. You come to yourself. You can relax. You breathe the nature. So I just enjoy it.”
And after all those years, he says, the time somehow seemed to disappear. “Even if it’s like 16 years, it feels like 60 months.”
That ability to make people feel welcome travelled far beyond the Cederberg.
Adele Vorster shares a story from a conversation she had with a stranger while waiting for a flight at Singapore’s Changi Airport. “Where are you from”, the man asked, “the Cederberg”, Adele replied. This chance meeting led the man to share a story about a time he and his wife were riding motorbikes through the region when the rain started. They stopped at the first farm they came across and found themselves unexpectedly looked after. Accommodation was quickly arranged in one of the cottages, and braai packs and cold wine were delivered directly to their cottage by “a man with a big white smile.”
“Was that maybe Mount Ceder?” Adele asked. To which he responded, “Yes! Do you know Mount Ceder?”
The final verdict? “Gladson, an international legend.”
It is hard to imagine a better description.
For Marilize Kotze, who worked alongside Gladson for 17 years, it was his humour, kindness and genuine warmth that stood out.
“His dry, yet oh-so-sharp sense of humour, the genuine love and friendliness that always radiated from him, and the respect and kindness with which he treated me are things that words simply cannot do justice.”
And then there is the part of Gladson’s story that lies beyond Mount Ceder. Malawi is still home. He returned when he could, once or sometimes twice a year, to see his children and his three grandchildren, two boys and a girl.
One of his grandsons is already looking forward to playing football with him, telling him, “I want you to come and play football with me.” Gladson always believed his children should stay in Malawi, noting, “If we both come this side, then we’ll forget home. And home is always sweet.”
Perhaps that is why he has always understood the people who arrive at Mount Ceder so well. He knows what it means to leave one place and find yourself somewhere else. He knows that sometimes a place becomes special simply because of the people who make you feel like you belong.
And Gladson certainly did that.
“Gladson is someone we could rely on,” says Jan Vorster, speaking at his farewell. Jan described a man who brought “experience, dedication and commitment to everything he did”, while sharing knowledge, offering support and solving problems – invariably with “a healthy dose of humour”.
But Jan notes it is the person, rather than the employee, that people will remember most: “his bright smile that lighten many a cloudy day and cloudy circumstances”, along with the conversations, laughter, stories and everyday moments that helped make the workplace feel like a community.
After more than three decades, Gladson’s career has come to an earlier conclusion than anyone would have wished. Now, it is time for him to focus on himself, his health and his family. As he begins this next chapter, an immense amount of love and goodwill goes with him.
“His presence at Mount Ceder will be sorely missed,” says Karen, “but we wish him nothing but love, happiness and all the very best as he begins this next chapter of his life.”
For someone who has spent so many years making other people feel at home, there is something beautiful about Gladson finally getting to spend that time with his own family.
Mount Ceder will keep changing, as all places do. There will be new guests, new staff and new stories. But some people leave a mark so deep that they become a part of the place itself, long after they have gone.
Gladson Kaderu is one of those people.
As Jan put it in his farewell: “Your contribution is valued, your presence appreciated, and your absence will certainly be felt.”
And perhaps the simplest words are the best.
“Thank you, Gladson you will be missed as a colleague and a friend.”
Mooi loop.
