At a planning lekgotla in Rustenburg to assess progress it has made thus far, the department re-evaluated strengthening its capacity to improve the creation of a sustainable tourism economy in the province.  

"It is important to lay a solid foundation and allow for a smooth transition into the sixth administration. I would like to encourage officials to work hard and be innovative in their scope of work, to create an enabling environment as well as to intensify working relations with all stakeholders for the benefit of the province”, Tourism MEC, Wendy Nelson, said. 

Head of department, Neo Sephoti, said tourism was one of the fundamental drivers of the economy and played a substantial role in changing the lives of South Africans, especially the poor. 

"In mapping our way forward, it is imperative that whatever we set ourselves to do, we focus on the urgent tasks pronounced in this year’s SONA (State of the Nation address) and SOPA (State of the Province address) to guide our vision and mission. 

"In this regard we focus on changing the lives of our people, ensuring that we accelerate economic growth through inclusion and job creation.

"Our people must know that our state has the capacity to meet their needs. We must really look at whether our people are skilled to do their work and intensify the fight against corruption and in doing so we also improve the lives of our people," Sephoti said.

"We are confident that we have a winning formula that will ensure that we meet our target of making the province a preferred destination of choice and create an
enabling environment for the sector to flourish," she said.

African News Agency (ANA)