Meet the chair of the MTPA board

MBOMBELA – On Thursday March 17 the MEC for finance, economic development and tourism, Mr Eric Kholwane announced the new 11 board members of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA).

Lowvelder interviewed the new chairman to find out more about him and what makes him tick.

Thulani Nzima was born in Bushbuckridge. Nzima is an awe-inspiring giant of a man, a larger-than-life figure whose deep voice commands respect, yet he radiates modesty.

He has a BCom in business and managerial economics from the University of South Africa, a certificate in international executive leadership and has also completed several courses such as international airline marketing from Concordia University (Canada) and aviation marketing from Cranfield University (UK).

With over 10 years’ extensive managerial experience, Nzima took over the reins as the MTPA chairman of the board on March 1.

He said he was grateful and excited to have been offered an opportunity to chair. Nzima brings a wealth of boardroom experience and good governance to the agency. He previously worked for Tourism South Africa as a chief executive officer; a position he held for four years and that would later stand him in good stead to chair the MTPA board.

“I believe I am a well-rounded individual when it comes to the tourism and hospitality area and that’s what I think the MEC, Mr Eric Kholwane, wanted to exploit a bit more,” he said.

During his time at as a senior executive manager at South African Airways, Nzima had overall executive responsibility for the running of the organisation, strategy development and execution, resource management including the organisation’s 12 overseas offices and its key stakeholder relationships.

He has also worked as an executive director at Avis Rent A Car South Africa and CEO at South African Travel Centre.

Asked about his intentions for the agency, Nzima said he was bringing the discipline of the corporate world combined with government understanding to deliver value to the people on how tourism could empower locals, create jobs and contribute to economic development.

He added that the agency would benefit from the well-balanced board from a skills point of view, gender variation and experience.

“Nothing will make me happier than to make a difference in my home province by reinstating Mpumalanga as a preferred tourist destination in South Africa. The challenge is the magnitude of the task ahead of us as the board,” said Nzima.
He is married and has two sons and a daughter. “I have a drop-dead beautiful daughter and have employed a full-time bodyguard to ensure she is safe on the streets of Johannesburg,” he joked.

As a son of a famous photographer and journalist, Mr Sam Nzima, who captured the iconic photo of Hector Pieterson, Nzima still remembered going to the stadium with his father to watch soccer and music concerts, something he described in detail.

“I remember watching Timmy Thomas at Jabavu Central Stadium with my dad and also sitting long hours with him at work while he was processing pictures from a boxing match. People thought I was a young journalist too,” he recounted.

He added that his favourite quote is by Mandela.” It always looks impossible until someone has done the work.

“I like because it tells you the power of human endeavour and encourages us to dare to be the first to conquer,” he concluded.