Few businesses are as all-consuming as a guest house. Take JJ Pieterse, who has built up the Ramasi Guest Services CC in Panorama, Cape Town, from scratch over two decades. Over those twenty years, JJ stayed on the property with his guests, serving them day and night, spending many days with them on tour, and seeing their children grow up as they return every year on holiday.
Such a lifestyle might be too much for even the most dedicated business owner, but JJ says he loves it. Firstly, his vast network of guests is like one big extended family. “When a long-standing guest returns, it’s like welcoming a family member back home,” he says warmly.
His enthusiasm for the Cape never fades, no matter how many times he takes guests on a guided tour through Cape Point or spotting whales in Hermanus, he never grows tired of it. “Each visit reveals a fresh bloom, a different bird or a new moment to treasure. From the penguins in Betty’s Bay to the vineyards of the winelands, how could anyone tire of such a wonderful province?” says the 73-year-old entrepreneur.
JJ started his career as a computer pioneer, learning to program for mainframes in the 1970s and eventually founding his own tech agency specialising in computer hardware and storage solutions. Even before entering the tourism industry, he was already playing the role of host and guide, inviting his corporate clients and their spouses on overseas trips to his computer suppliers, and always choosing a guest house to personalise the experience.
When JJ relocated to Cape Town in the late 1990s and came across a house for sale in Panorama, he knew it was the perfect opportunity to pursue his dream of opening his own guest house. He named it Ramasibi, after his Tswana name that he was given on the farm where he grew up in the North West province, a name that now carries the legacy of his hospitality journey.
Starting the business was anything but easy. Recovering from a heart-bypass operation, JJ had to shoulder the whole start-up experience, doing everything himself from renovating three guest bedrooms, to cleaning and changing the linen to navigating municipal rezoning processes. With just three rooms, Ramasibi managed to break even, allowing JJ to run it alongside his computer sales business.
As the 2010 World Cup approached, he made a bold decision to fully commit to tourism. JJ registered as a tour guide, purchased a small bus and expanded the guest house by adding four more rooms. To fund the development, he approached Business Partners Limited – a choice he made deliberately. Unlike traditional banks that focused solely on property financing, Business Partners Limited showed genuine interested in supporting the business itself.
Unfortunately, the World Cup proved to be disappointing for him and thousands of other accommodation providers who signed up with FIFA to reserve rooms for international visitors, the organisation had overbooked millions of rooms, and JJ sold only 4 nights over the entire month of the World Cup.
The business survived, despite the setbacks and JJ’s determination paid off. With seven rooms in operation Ramasibi Guest Services entered a period of profitability, steady growth and expansion. Siezing the opportunity to expand, JJ secured a second loan from Business Partners Limited to buy a property across the road, adding another seven rooms to the business.
JJ did not stop there but converted a garage space into a 30-seat conference centre and added a 55-seat restaurant, turning Ramasibi into a fully-fledged hospitality hub.
His relationship with Business Partners Limited continued to be instrumental, he approached them twice more – once for a bridging loan during Covid-19 lockdowns, and again to install a solar energy system to counter loadshedding.
JJ says he is unlikely to expand Ramasibi Guest House any further and would consider selling the business if the right offer came along. In the meantime, he remains heavily involved in the industry, holding up leadership positions such as chairing a local guest house association and spearheading initiatives for the professionalisation of local tourist guides.
All the while, he spends several days a week on the road doing what he loves: sharing the beauty of the Western Cape with guests from all over the world.
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