Nurseries and Nurturing: Village n Life Intern Talks About His Experience

Internships are a wonderful way for young people to get a foot in teh door in their chosen career paths. By learning from first hand experience, these young people garner an understanding of the career they want to pursue on a first hand basis.

At Village n Life, we’re very passionate about our various internship programmes, and what it means for the candidate – as well as for us.

One such young man who has recently completed his internship programme with us and is now employed by Village n Life, is Sihle Majozi. Sihle is a passionate gardener with dreams of becoming a landscaper and is currently employed at Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa.

Sihle, under the mentorship of Daniel Louw and Bruce Wessels, is flourishing in his role at the hotel, and is passionately cultivating and looking after Pezula’s gorgeous gardens and nurseries.

We caught up with Sihle to ask him about his experience and what he looks forward to in his career.

1. When did you join the Village n LIfe intern programme?

I joined the programme on the 7th of April 2019. So I have been with Village n Life for just over six months in total.

2. How long were you part of the intern programme?

The intern programme lasted for 4 months, after which I was employed.

3. What was the best part of interning at Village n Life?

The best part was definitely working with people who know their industry. It was wonderful working with Bruce Wessels, as he has a lot of insight into the horticulture industry. It was also great to learn more about the hospitality industry as a whole.

4. What did you learn about gardens and nurseries while interning?

A lot, but mostly that proper planning for the gardens is the key to successful gardens. From basic day to day work such as weeding, pruning or even tree surgery, to name few, every detail is important and should tie in with your overall plan. Setting up the nursery was definitely the highlights of the internship, again starting from planning, layout designs and growing different plant species using different propagation techniques.

5. What do you enjoy most about your job at Village n Life?

The accommodation is truly awesome! And the fact that I get to work in beautiful Knysna, with all it’s diverse plant species, is amazing. I love to work in a place with diverse horticulture and I enjoy learning more about each different plant.