Your Hosts at Parker Cottage

Phil & Liz

Parker Cottage Guesthouse is a small, owner-managed business with five permanent staff, six if you count Busby, the Parker Poodle.

We’re Liz and Phil, (the owners), and came to Cape Town from the Eastern Cape (Grahamstown) in 2006.

We bought Parker Cottage Guesthouse in 2008 after a couple of years running another guesthouse, Mountain Magic Suites.

We’re also academics by profession: Liz works in the sociology of education and is writing her Phd at the moment and Phil has a consultancy, English for Africa, that develops language solutions for business and educational institutions. When we’re not at Parker Cottage Guesthouse, Liz likes nothing better than anything to do with horses, gardens and fantastic outfits! Phil’s never happier than when covered in oil working on his Land Rover, skateboarding or windsurfing at Langebaan.

Marie Schultz

Marie came to Parker Cottage Guesthouse in 2004 to work for the previous owners but initially only as a maid. She’s now the Senior Housekeeper and oversees the never ending task of ensuring the clenliness of the house, linen and kitchen. She’s a self-confessed giggler and married to a lay preacher with one child. She’s also obsessed with her toy poodle and loves baking (except when her sisters know she's baking because then there's never anything left for her!).

Donovan Jonkers

Donovan is our caretaker at Parker Cottage Guesthouse. Even at the tender age of 21, he manages all painting and decorating here with exceptional diligence. He's originally from the Eastern Cape, Graff Reinet to be precise, and loves riding his racer bike around town. He now lives in Mitchell's Plain and is the main breadwinner for his household of five.

Donny plays for a local football team called Napoli (no, not the Italian one!) and makes it known that unless he is playing, the team loses.  Donny's big ambition is to become an electrician one day.

Olga Jonkers

Olga has been with us since Donovan, her son, told us that he knew someone who could help with the linen. Olga now is in charge of cleaning all the public areas of the house, the kitchen, lounges, passages and stoep, which takes all day, every day.  Olga and her husband Jeffrey brought the Jonkers family from Graff Reinet to Cape Town about ten years ago. Olga's a passionate housewife and mother of four, of which Donny is the eldest.

Babalwa Ngombane

Babalwa is the Housekeeper, 2nd in charge to Marie on the Parker Cottage Guesthouse team. She is a single mother of four and hails from the Eastern Cape.

Previously a cinema manager, Babalwa is the younger sister of Nolita, who worked for us when we were still running Mountain Magic.  Babs, as she is known, is an erudite lady with empecable English, a razor sharp mind and a broad education.  This is not a woman to be underestimated.  Her favourite occupation? Coming home to clean house with dinner on the table and her favourite soapies (soap operas) on the television. Her dream is to have her own catering company one day.


Elinah Magodi

Elinah is the newest addition to the Parker Cottage crew.  Originally from Zimbabwe and mother to Russell, Elinah lives in Rocklands, about 30km from Parker Cottage.  She's in charge of the laundry and linen at Parker, she runs the entire laundry single handed, which when you consider we sometimes have ten room changes in one day, is not exactly a small task!  She also helps with serving breakfast. As she works six days a week, you can understand that her favourite past-time when she's at home is sleeping!