By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former Wesgro CEO Tim Harris has been appointed as the new interim chair of SA Tourism’s board, the Department of Tourism confirmed on Wednesday.
Wesgro is the Western Cape’s official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency. Harris played a key role in putting Cape Town and the Western Cape on the tourism and investment map during his tenure as CEO of the organisation
According to the tourism minister Patricia de Lille, newly appointed board member Vincent Zwelibanzi Mntambo nominated Harris during last week’s meeting.
Harris, Mntambo and Kholeka Zama were appointed nearly two weeks ago as interim SA tourism Board members.
“Tim Harris wrote to the Acting CEO of SA Tourism on Wednesday, 26 April 2023, requesting a number of strategic documents and an urgent briefing from the SA Tourism executive,” said De Lille.
She was optimistic about the trio, saying they understood the urgent work required to turn SA Tourism around.
Harris is a tourism and economic promotion expert, an associate professor of practice at Johannesburg’s Business School, and a senior advisor to the entrepreneur network, Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance.
Mntambo is the former director-general of the Gauteng provincial government and director of the Independent Mediation Service of South Africa, an NGO specialising in resolving industrial conflict.
Zama is a qualified chartered accountant with experience in finance, audit and governance. She has worked for companies like Digital Frontiers NPC and British American Tobacco SA.
Their appointment came after De Lille decided to dissolve what remained of the former SA Tourism board following public outcry on related to the Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship controversy.
By the time De Lille opted to dissolve the board, at least seven out of 11 of its members had handed in their resignations.
The resignations came after SA Tourism’s proposed deal to sponsor the English Premier Football club in a R900 million sponsorship that would’ve been in place for three years, if approved.