New members appointed for Tourism B-BBEE Charter Council

Tourism was the first sector to gazette the amended B-BBEE Code showing the commitment of tourism stakeholders to the empowerment and transformation the sector. It also expresses the commitment to work collectively to ensure that the opportunities and benefits of the sector are extended to black South Africans.

The tourism sector is required to appoint a Charter Council consisting of industry representatives from the public and private sectors, labour and small businesses across the tourism spectrum as described in the gazetted Tourism B-BBEE Charter to monitor transformation in the tourism sector.

The Charter Council will fulfil the following roles:

• Provide guidance on sector-specific matters effecting B-BBEE;
• Compile reports on the status of B-BBEE within the sector, and
• Share information with sector members, approved accreditation agencies, B-BBEE Commission, B-BBEE Presidential Advisory Council, the Line Minister and the Minister of Trade and Industry pertaining to B-BBEE in the sector.

The following Charter Council members have been appointed for a period of three years:

1. Dr Vuyo Mahlati (Chairperson): National Planning Commissioner in the Presidency
2. Shamilla Chettiar: Deputy Director General for Policy and Knowledge Services at the National Department of Tourism
3. Blacky Komani: CEO of Tourvest Duty-Free on the Ground
4. Gail Westphal: General Manager of Gooderson Leisure
5. Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa: CEO of Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (FEDHASA)
6. Mohamed Baba: Managing Director at Ilios Travel
7. Adriaan Liebetrau: CEO of Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI)
8. Ravi Nadasen: Director Operations at Tsogo Sun
9. Nyeleti Mushwana: CEO of Karibu Hotel & Conference Centre
10. Mmatšatši Ramawela: CEO of Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA)
11. Duma Gqubule: Founder of KIO Advisory Services
12. Heather Prinsloo: Former Divisional Director: Transformation for the City Lodge Hotel Group. She is now Human Resource Executive at City Property Administration
13. Nicholus Maziya: Deputy Secretary General of South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (SATAWU)
14. Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo: Divisional Director: Operations at the City Lodge Hotel Group

Hanekom said he was confident that the diverse and capable team would fast-track transformation in the sector. “All stakeholders, including businesses, the public and associations in the tourism sector should use this collective to raise issues affecting them, and to share best practice models to ensure the tourism sector is at the forefront of transformation in South Africa,” said Hanekom.