In recent weeks, Sun International has announced that it is closing the Carousel Hotel and Casino in Moretele in the North West and Naledi Sun in Thaba’ Nchu in the Free State. Both hotels were located in areas that previously fell under the former Bophuthatswana Bantu homeland pre-1994. 

While the closure of Naledi Sun will reportedly result in the retrenchment of 66 employees from the area, it is unknown how many employees at the Carousel Hotel and Casino will be left out in the lurk due to the closure. 

Sun International has attributed the difficult decision to financial constraints brought on by reduced gambling activities as well as a weakened economy which has been further exacerbated by the five-week coronavirus lockdown.

The hospitality giant says in a statement on their website, that “the Carousel was one of South Africa's oldest and most popular casinos and entertainment centres. Opened in 1991 in former Bophuthatswana, the casino created hundred's of millionaires during its operations that closed on 24th March 2020 due to COVID-19 Lockdown restrictions imposed to protect South Africans”. Sun International management ended the statement, by thanking staff and visitors for their continued support over the years.

Meanwhile, the Congress of the People (Cope) has urged the private and public sector to keep the doors of Naledi Sun open and as a result, help keep food on the tables of families in the area that depends on it. 

This sentiment has been echoed by the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) with them pleading with Sun International to avert layoffs at both hotels. 

Sun International continues to own the Sun City Resort near Rustenburg which also falls under the Bojanala Platinum Region. They previously owned Thaba Nchu Sun, now known as the Black Mountain Hotel, but later sold it to pursue establishing a casino in Bloemfontein, known as the Windmill Casino. The closure is being described as a huge blow to communities surrounding the hotel and casinos. The respective provincial governments are yet to comment on the closures.

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