New tourism CE has big plans for the city.

Lindiwe Mahlangu, chief executive of tourism

WITH the kind of experience she has, her name - which means, "waited for" - is proving to be true for the Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC).

Lindiwe Mahlangu, who took over as chief executive of the JTC from Eddy Khosa on 1 March, is no newcomer to the tourism game. And people in her department are looking forward to working with the straight-talking Durbanite.

Born in the tourist-friendly province of KwaZulu-Natal – in Kwa Dukuza, in the northern suburbs of Durban – she has played a significant role in the shaping of the tourism industry in her hometown. Mahlangu headed up Durban Africa, the eThekwini tourism agency, before she came to Joburg.

While in Durban, she acquired the skill to see solutions in complex and difficult situations and now she is bringing that skill and ability to Joburg.

Mahlangu has big plans for tourism in the city of gold – and she points out that the first step towards making those big plans a reality is making sure that Johannesburg is a safe city that people feel comfortable about visiting.

She aims to overturn the perceptions that Johannesburg is an unsafe city, plagued by crime and violence.

"I want to develop a destination brand, roll it out and ensure that Johannesburg becomes the top South African brand for local and international visitors and ranks on prestigious international lists," she says.

At the moment Joburg's primary tourist attraction is business, but she hopes to convert that to leisure, to maximise tourism value.

"This city has all these amazing leisure experiences that we have to capitalise on more to lure convention and other business delegates. Our growth as a destination lies primarily in our ability to convert the business visitor into a leisure tourist by encouraging them to bring accompanying persons during the conferences in order to spend more, and stay longer, in the city once business is done," she says.

And she realises the value of a good tourist experience. "Remember that word of mouth spreads faster than a bush fire, so if we have people [speaking highly] about our city after the Confederations Cup [in 2009] then we are on the right track."

For Joburg to become the city that everyone wants to visit, all its departments must work together. "It will not work if it is only a tourism department effort."

She has also set her sights far into the future, and aims to use the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ as a stepping-stone to putting Johannesburg on the world tourism map.

"We are not going to take the 2010 World Cup for granted. I know people will come to South Africa, but it is up to us to make sure that they have good memories of Joburg. In that way, they will want to come back."

She identifies Johannesburg's status as host city to 30% of the FIFA 2010 World Cup matches as an element that enhances the Joburg brand immensely and sees it as an opportunity to entrench the destination's position as an events hub.

At 30-something, Mahlangu tried various fields before finding her niche in the tourism industry. With a bachelor's degree, majoring in economics, from the University of Durban-Westville, she worked for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and for the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, as well as spending time at Eskom, the national power supplier.

Mahlangu also holds Advanced Business Programme certification from Natal Technikon Business Studies Unit and an MBA from the University of Wales.

Her wisdom is not only shared in South Africa but throughout the world as she has spoken at seminars in Amsterdam, New Delhi, New Orleans and Leeds on subjects ranging from the development of small, micro and medium enterprises to cooperatives as a stimulus for local economic development and beneficiation of minerals as a catalyst for economic development.

When asked about the big shoes that she has to fill at the JTC, Mahlangu is honest: "I know that I have great shoes to fill but I am not really worried because I believe that I am a team player and that I have the ability to lead this department - if I didn't they would not have given the post to me."

She loved being at the helm of Durban Africa but understands that change is necessary.

"In order for one to grow, one needs to get out of one's comfort zone. I guess it was time for me to get out of mine and challenge myself with new things."

When asked about her impression of Joburg, she said, "Joburg is a vibrant world class city; a city of contrasts that is uniquely African on the one hand and on the other offers the best of the world."

On a personal level, Mahlangu says she does not like big-headed, egotistical people.

She describes herself as a hands-on, results-driven person who pays particular attention to matching sound strategy to practical solutions.

Mahlangu adheres to values of quality, professionalism and absolute integrity; she is also passionate about the ideals of Black Economic Empowerment.

The Johannesburg Tourism Company is at 195 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parktown North. It can be contacted on 011 214 0700 or by email on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Related stories:

• About 2010 FIFA World Cup™
• More about tourism in Joburg
• Business tourism sector in Jozi
  

Related Links:

• www.joburgtourism.com
• www.sowetotourism.com