VRYHEID KZN: Meet the new Abaqulusi tourism officer

Landiswa Carol Zwane initially had a dream of being a social worker, but has wound up being a tourism officer – a position she says suits her to the T. Landiswa was born and bred in the Eastern Cape, Queenstown to be exact, where she was raised by her grandmother. She remembers having a good upbringing with her siblings, and moved to Vryheid in 1999.

She currently resides in an area called Engilandi (eMondlo), where she is married with five children. She is also blessed with four grandchildren. Landiswa reminisces that she had a desire to be a social worker and enrolled at UNISA, but that dream was not fulfilled. Instead, she did her Bachelor of Arts degree and went on to be a councillor for Ward 21 in Abaqulusi from 2016 to 2019.

“The reason why I left being a councillor is that I saw a post here stating that they need a tourism officer, so I applied. I looked at my age and how quickly time flies; I am no longer young and I thought my chances of finding a proper job were slim. I looked at the requirements of the post and saw myself as a perfect fit for the position. Luckily, I managed to get the job. Honestly speaking, I’ve wanted to be a tourism officer for a long time.”

Landiswa continued with a humorous streak that, “Since I started being a tourism officer in 2019, I have worked very well with my co-workers. They adore me! They even threw a birthday surprise for me a few weeks back. Even students who come in to study start calling me ‘mom’, which has sort of become my nickname around here. I motivate the employees with love. You see, I believe you have to love yourself first before you can love other people. I love them so much that they wish we were always together.”

She went on to say that the tourism office is very important, as it is the face of Vryheid; its doors must always be open on time. She said that in five years’ time, she sees herself still working as a tourism officer, but she aims to get promotions along her journey. “For now, I am still satisfied where I am and I have to continue with my studies to get what I am aiming for.”

Landiswa mentioned that when she first started the job, she felt the pressure of learning lots of new things. “I wouldn’t say there is much pressure now, but one thing that stands out is the budget. Sometimes I want to execute different projects, but they are not done accordingly due to the limited funds; I don’t blame anybody for that though. Also, when I got here, there was a little bit of a struggle, since the former tourism officer was a white person. I am a black woman, so at first people would compare the two of us. I understand though, since I was a councillor and now the people are comparing the new councillor with me.”

She describes the CTO (Community Tourism Organisation) as giving her the courage to push even harder and she says she works well with them. Landiswa says that besides her work, she is a housewife and once a year, she takes a vacation with her husband. She also enjoys going to church on Sundays because she is a born again Christian.

“One important thing I would like to say to someone who is interested in tourism or a student who studies tourism: Continue studying hard and hold onto your education. It is also my wish that Abaqulusi Municipality works closely with Mthashana TVET College students to give them support and also give them educational tours, because tourism boosts the economy of the country. In order for the country’s economy to grow and be stable, we need more tourism students.”

Landiswa would like to thank God, her husband, her children, Sizanani SA, Vryheid CTO, Abaqulusi Municipality, and Sinethemba NPO (Mkhulu Shenge) for supporting her this far in her career.

“If you are a tourism officer or work in the tourism sector, you need to keep in mind that you are not here for tourism only; we are here for the people – we need to love everybody, accept everyone and assist everyone,” she concluded.

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