Amid concerns surrounding the organisation of this year’s Meetings Africa, South Africa’s tourism industry is expecting some clarity on the status of the show from Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille who is set to brief the media today (January 27).
De Lille will focus on the performance of the inbound tourism sector in 2025 and provide an update on arrangements for the trade show set to take place at the Sandton Convention Centre from February 23-25.
The update comes on the back of concerns voiced by industry stakeholders about the planning and execution of the event.
Tes Proos, President for the African chapter of the Society for Incentives Travel Excellence, said multiple hosted buyers have exited due to the planning delays.
“We are also at risk of losing exhibitors but the South African National Convention Bureau (SANCB) has assured us that arrangements for technicalities such as shared stands and stand costs will be finalised by tomorrow,” she said.
Proos voiced frustration that Meetings Africa is in a similar position to last year when procurement processes for an events management company fell apart.
“It is unfortunate that we again find ourselves in a situation where internal processes at SA Tourism and the SANCB are affecting planning for the event. This is a hugely important trade show for us as the business events industry and we need it to succeed,” she said.
Nevertheless, Proos believes newly appointed SANCB Convention Bureau Head Corné Koch will restore confidence in the platform.
“She came in at a difficult time but I believe we can still pull this through. On a positive note, she has assured us that dates for next year’s event will be announced shortly after the 2026 show. It’s critical that we win back the confidence of participants across Africa and overseas buyers,” Proos said.
Instability concerns linger
Oupa Pilane, a former member of the SA Tourism Board and Director of the Graskop Gorge Lift Company, claims current leadership and governance challenges at SA Tourism are translating into failures on the ground.
He described the leadership vacuum at the DMO as “stark” following the recent resignation of COO Darryl Erasmus.
Pilane said: “SA Tourism currently has no permanent CEO, COO or Chief Marketing Officer. There is still no permanent board, leaving the entity governed by an interim structure amid an ongoing Special Investigating Unit investigation. SA Tourism’s performance against its own annual performance plan indicators – governance stability, programme delivery, financial management, risk mitigation and stakeholder confidence – is being undermined by this leadership vacuum and private-sector distrust.”
Pilane called on President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Portfolio Committee on Tourism to hold De Lille accountable.
“We need accountability restored, leadership stabilised and an end to the ministerial overreach that has brought us to this point,” he said.
Haseena Ismail, the Democratic Alliance’s Spokesperson for Tourism and a member of the Portfolio Committee, said she has written to the committee’s Chairperson, requesting that De Lille and SA Tourism appear in Parliament to respond to the cited concerns.
