1South Africa’s Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille. Picture: Henk Kruger/Independent Newspapers
The Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (Satsa) welcomed the appointments made to the South African Tourism (SAT) board by Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille.
The voice of inbound tourism in the country congratulated three of it’s members Rachel Nxele, its Vice Chairperson; Jonathan Gadiah, CEO of Thompsons Africa; and Judi Nwokedi, Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Tourvest Integrated Tourism Group, who made it onto the list of board members.
Satsa also congratulated Lawsen Naidoo, Siza Mzimela, Miller Matola and Tumelo Selikane on their appointments.
According to the association, the inclusion of Nxele, Nwokedi and Gadiah on the Board ensures a strong representation of the private sector’s perspective, which is essential for the development and implementation of effective tourism strategies.
“Their deep understanding of the industry’s challenges and opportunities will be invaluable in shaping policies that benefit the entire tourism ecosystem.
“Satsa is encouraged by the diverse expertise and experience represented on the new Board. We are confident that their collective knowledge and leadership will be instrumental in guiding South African tourism towards a successful future,” they said.
On September 10, minister De Lille released a statement highlighting concerns about an excessive number of board meetings held by the then board and announced that both SAT Chairperson Makhosazana Khanyile and Deputy Chairperson Lizelle Dominique Jordaan had been removed effective immediately from their leadership roles, however, would remain as ordinary board members.
“In recent months, I had become concerned with the number of meetings the board held and I had written to the SAT Board Chairperson asking for reasons why an excessive amount of meetings were held (27 meetings) in the first quarter of 2024 (between March and June 2024).
“For this financial year, so far, close to R900 000 of the R1.44million has been accrued by the SAT Board for 54 meetings from March and up until the first week of September 2024,” said the tourism minister in the statement.
The Tourism Portfolio Committee also raised concerns about the costs linked to the high meeting frequency and despite requests for clarification, the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson failed to provide satisfactory explanations for the excessive meetings.
As a result, the minister took decisive action to streamline board operations and the affected individuals continued serving in a non-executive capacity.
Following the new appointments, Satsa said that it looks forward to collaborating closely with the Board to address the challenges and opportunities facing the tourism industry and contribute to the sustainable growth of tourism in South Africa.
“Satsa pledges its full support to the new Board and wishes them every success in their tenure.
“We are excited about the potential for enhanced cooperation between the public and private sectors, and we are committed to working together to promote South Africa as a premier global destination,” said the voice of inbound tourism.