Ms Sthembiso Dlamini, the former Chief Operating Officer at South African Tourism, has 18 years of public management experience, 9 of which were at an executive leadership level. She is a trustee of the Endangered Wildlife Trust and currently serves as an Executive Director on the Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) Board as the new CEO.

Sthembiso joined Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) in December 2021. She is responsible for marketing and positioning Gauteng as a tourist destination of choice and a competitive global city region across Africa and the World.

In her new role, she is accountable for the overall management of the GTA operations by providing strategic leadership and sound advice across the various operational units within the GTA. Critical to her new role as the GTA CEO, she is tasked, amongst others, to ensure the sustainability and sound governance of the GTA and to deliver on the mandate of the GTA Board and the shareholder.

Before joining Gauteng Tourism Authority, Sthembiso was a Chief Operating Officer at South Africa Tourism (SAT), managing a portfolio of R700 million and over 80 employees and was later asked to act as the CEO.

As ACEO, Sthembiso provided strategic vision and leadership to the destination marketing organisation and ensured that South African Tourism operated according to international best practices and relevant legislations.

Prior to these, Sthembiso was employed as the COO, a role she had occupied since August 2012, and has worked for the South African Revenue Service (SARS) as acting director of corporate affairs from 2007 to 2012.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Criminology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Project and Programme Management. She is currently busy with her Research Report to complete a Mcom in Programme Management at the Cranefield College of Project and Programme Management.

Kojo Bentum-Williams is the Founder and Publisher of Africa’s leading travel and tourism Media VoyagesAfriq Travel Magazine and Media. A communication professional with over 12 years in working in travel and tourism trade. His cross-cutting knowledge in the industry include working as PR official at the Ghana Tourism Authority and Press Secretary to Ghana’s Former Minister of Tourism Arts and Culture.

He is currently the Senior Expert for Communications in Africa for the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

He has regularly contributed to a number of Tourism publication and reports including the annual Africa Tourism Monitor Report published by the Africa Development Bank (AFDB), New York University Africa House Journal and Casa Africa’s Encounter with African Journalists in Spain.

Kojo has worked closely with a number of African Tourism Ministers and CEOs of National Tourism Boards in Africa as well as the Africa’s Tourism Private Sector.

Kwakye Donkor is the CEO of Africa Tourism Partners (ATP), a Pan African tourism advisory and a UNWTO award-winning firm. He is a renowned Pan-African strategist and expert in areas of tourism development, intra-Africa tourism development, strategic and destination marketing, destination brand management and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibition/Events). He is a recognised and highly respected personality in Africa tourism space, and speaks at global conferences, seminars and think tank fora.

Kwakye has demonstrated expertise in destination master planning as well as strategy formulation and implementation, business transactional advisory and leadership development worldwide across education, finance, and hotel development. His expertise and experience have earned him the privilege to regularly serve on expert panels and think tank fora facilitated by international organizations including UNWTO, AU, SADC, The World Bank Group, GIZ, BBC, CNBC Africa, Channel Africa, ENCA, SABC and others across Africa.

He is the convener of the annual Africa Tourism Leadership Forum & Awards, Africa MICE Masterclass, Africa Youth in Tourism Summit and Africa Women in Tourism Summit series.

Dirk Van Loggerenberg was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Stock Exchange of Mauritius listed, Dale Capital Group Limited. (DCG) He has vast experience in Banking and financial services.

He has been tasked by the DCG board to re-engineer the DCG with a prime strategy of becoming a Fintech Group.

Travel Designer, Tourist Guide and Owner of Halaal Hopper, Mrs. Fayrouz Holliday-October took a leap of re-evaluating her experience and position within the Tourism Industry in South Africa. With the 23 years experience in the local and international tourism sector and as a Muslim woman and a Muslim woman traveller she realised that there was a great need to cater to the needs Muslim Traveller with halaal offerings. From food, accommodation and Muslim Tourist attractions the passion grew to join the already main stream of other Muslim operators to give further quality service and options to the Muslim Traveller.

Fayrouz comes with, a wealth knowledge of the Middle East, being a Dubai Tourism Top Graduate from the Government of Dubai Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) in 2001. No local formal qualification but still continue to study through the University of Life. She is the Executive member of Women in Tourism Western Cape and Interim Chairlady of Halaal Tourism Association of South Africa. She runs community projects with other women focusing on entrepreneurship for kids. Fayrouz is also a mentee of Table Mountain Aerial Cableway- making Table Mountain accessible for disadvantaged local communities.

My Mat Matters is a prayer mat project which was born in 2020, to alleviate unemployment of local community ladies since there was no longer tourist coming to South Africa during 2020 because of COVID19 and many other ongoing projects in up skilling, training and development of women and youth.

The list is quite long, but a cat out of the bag.. Fayrouz was the first girl to play cricket for Western Province in a boys team in 1979 and is also a cricket coach Other than that Fayrouz love people, places, spaces and food and believes not to do different things but to do it differently with collaboration and that whatever is meant for you will come your way. GOD WILLING (IN SHA ALLAH)

• BSc.Eng (Civil) with Honours (UCT); Master of Engineering Management (UCT), Diploma in
• Practitioner Coaching
• Professional Associations
• ECSA (PrEng), MSAICE, COMENSA

• Organisational development and training/coaching of businesses, leaders and teams.
• Utility/ engineering management and water management.

• 2005 – to date. Consultant and Coach
• 2007 – 2020 Founding Director Dinaledi Educational Coaching
• 2002 until 2005 Director Water Services – City of Cape Town
• 1997 Executive Director Engineering Services (South Peninsula Municipality)
• 1996 Chief Engineer – R & D – City of Cape Town
• 1987 Principal Engineer – Water Design & Planning – Cape Town

Ms Xasa was appointed as Minister of Sport and Recreation on 27 February 2018 until 25 May 2019. Ms Xasa was the Minister of Tourism of the Republic of South Africa from 31 March 2017 until 26 February 2018. She has been a Member of Parliament since May 2009.

Ms Xasa holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Fort Hare; a BA degree from the University of Transkei and a BA Honours degree from the University of Fort Hare.

Ms Xasa is a qualified teacher and has taught at several high schools in South Africa.

In 1997, she became the first female mayor of a district municipality, namely the Kei District Council, in the transitional period of local government in the Eastern Cape, a position she held until 2000.

During her political career, Ms Xasa served as provincial treasurer of the African National Congress in the Eastern Cape, and as a member of the Provincial Legislature in the Eastern Cape from 2001 until 2009.

She has also been a Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Social Development; MEC for Housing, Local Government and Traditional Affairs; and MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs in the Eastern Cape.

Ms Xasa has served in several portfolio committees, including Local Government and Traditional Affairs, the Premier’s Office, and Economic Affairs.

Ms Xasa served as the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of South Africa; a position she held from 11 May 2009 and was reappointed on 26 May 2014 until 30 March 2017.

Over the past 23 years Ruben has developed and executed strategies for fast growing FinTech companies. He started out in the industrial process automation industry, migrated into IT and technology development.

After starting and selling a manufacturing integration company, he moved into FinTech business consulting and crypto. Applying process methodologies, agile development and crypto intelligence, Ruben now spearheads the development and marketing strategies at FutureFin.

FutureFin is a crypto & virtual asset management platform for individuals and businesses to leverage traditional assets with crypto for maximum growth.