THE South African Tourism has appointed Nombulelo Guliwe as its chief executive officer.
This follows the recommendation from the department of Tourism and cabinet.
Guliwe (37) is a chartered accountant by profession and member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. She has been with the agency for 8 years.
She had been acting CEO since September last year.
In 2019 she became the first black female and youngest SA Tourism Chief Financial Officer.
Guliwe, is currently the Interim chief financial officer and brings a wealth of knowledge having served in various leadership roles throughout her career within SAT.
Regarded as a ‘tough taskmaster’ her appointment has been welcomed by the Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA), which has expressed hopes that stability will return to the national destination marketing agency.
SATSA CEO David Frost says on her appointment is an “excellent appointment” to head up the agency.
“We work extremely well together. She comes from a strong finance background and has an intrinsic grasp of the internal dynamics of the organisation,” said Frost, who is also a former board member of the agency.
Frost commended Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille and former SAT board interim chair Tim Harris on the appointment process, which he described as “collaborative and thorough”.
“Harris has done an amazing job as interim chair, having seen the organisation through a tough period and despite uncertainty caused by political noise around his appointment,” he said.
The cabinet also made appointment of a new board:
- Makhosazana Khanyile (chair)
- Advocate Lizelle Dominique Jordaan (deputy chair)
- Dr Gregory Davids
- Ikaneng (Oupa) Ephraim Pilane
- Prof Motlhago Stella Bvuma
- Nqabomzi Haya
- Rajesh Mahabeer
- Ayanda Mazibuko
- Maija de Rijk-Uys
- Dr Mzolisi Michael Toni, and
- Uveshnee Pillay (as the Department of Tourism representative).
On the new board, Frost added: “It needs stability. The new CEO has the backing of SATSA and we hope there will be greater public-private collaboration between SAT and the industry under her leadership,” also highlighting “we really need SAT to be turned around, as the organisation has been without a permanent board since the Spurs fiasco”.
“While I still need to appraise myself with the full list of new board members, it is noteworthy that Oupa Pilane is on the board. Pilane is also chairperson of SATSA. Another addition is Maija de Rijk-Uys, managing director of Go2Africa – a SATSA member,” says Frost.
“Both Oupa and Maija bring a wealth of experience and insights from the tourism industry to their roles. This will be crucial as the private sector works closely with South African Tourism to elevate the country’s profile on the global stage,” he added.
The Tourism Business Council of SA (TBCSA) – an umbrella body representing the private sector of the country’s tourism and hospitality industry – also expressed positive sentiments around the leadership changes at SAT.
“The TBCSA welcomes the appointment of a new board and CEO at SAT. We are enthused and optimistic that the new board, led by Makhosazana Khanyile and newly appointed CEO Nombulelo Guliwe, will continue to cement the work currently underway to stabilise and carry forward the organisation’s operational imperatives,” it said in a statement on Thursday.
“We believe that a fully functional destination marketing body such as South African Tourism, plays a critical role in elevating the country’s image as an attractive tourist destination to the world.
Guliwe’s contract is five-years.
Top image SLM (SAT new boss Nombuleleo Guliwe, interacting with her boss, Tourism minister Patricia De Lille at the Meetings Africa media launch).
