Ms Thembi Kunene, Chief Quality Assurance Officer at the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA), a unit of South African Tourism, has tendered her resignation effective from 31 March 2015.
Mr Thulani Nzima, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SA Tourism commented: “I thank Thembi for her dedication and service during her employ with South African Tourism. Her leadership at the TGCSA and her formidable strategic approach has certainly contributed to elevating South Africa’s position as a world-class, quality assured tourism destination, both locally and globally.
“Thembi has been a dedicated and loyal member of the executive team since her appointment. We wish her success and we thank her for her contribution to the growth of TGCSA and the advancement of its mandate.”
During her eight-year tenure as Head of TGCSA, one of Thembi’s key achievements included leading comprehensive consultation to secure buy-in from the industry for South Africa’s revised and globally benchmarked quality grading criteria. This restored star grading credibility in tourism. More recently, Thembi also spearheaded the launch and implementation of the premier tourism recognition programme – the Lilizela Tourism Awards.
Nzima concluded: “It is important that we continue with our focus and efforts to deliver a globally credible quality assurance body for tourism products in South Africa. The process to recruit a suitable replacement for Thembi has begun and an announcement on developments in this regard will be made in due course.”
The Board, Management and staff of South African Tourism wish Thembi all the best in her future endeavours.
