By Clinton Moodley 
Aug 6, 2021
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Lindiwe Sisulu as minister of tourism following a Cabinet reshuffle on Thursday night.
Sisulu takes over from Mmamoloko Kubayi, who is now the human settlements minister.
“Dear Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, Congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Tourism! We would like to extend a warm welcome to this dynamic and vibrant portfolio and look forward to supporting you in positioning South Africa as a world-class destination,” the Department of Tourism congratulated her on her new role on Twitter.
Dear Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, Congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Tourism! We would like to extend a warm welcome to this dynamic and vibrant portfolio and look forward to supporting you in positioning South Africa as a world class destination. pic.twitter.com/f85rZJ1cJS
— Dept of Tourism (@Tourism_gov_za) August 6, 2021
CEO of Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa said the appointment of Minister Sisulu continues to show the importance of tourism in the economy.
“We welcome it as the Tourism Business Council.
“The sector faces various challenges, including unfavourable travel advisories and red-list by critical source markets countries, transport permits, adoption of vaccine passports, and negative brand image due to unrest.
“We believe that the new minister’s experience and expertise will help the tourism sector deal with the immediate and long-term challenges,” he said.
What South Africans say
@LindiweSisuluSA Dear Minister congratulations on the appointment of Tourism Minister. We r looking forward to see a big boost in the tourism sector. All the best.
— Saleem Shakoor (@shakooras) August 6, 2021
Many South Africans welcomed the move- with one person stating that they were “looking forward to see a big boost in the tourism sector”. (sic)
User @teddyn82 commented: “She will do an excellent job there.” (sic), while @politrixsa commented: “Congrats @LindiweSisuluSA… Tourism is an awesome opportunity to grow SA.… very important industry creating jobs.
“Chinese tourism a massive growth opportunity. (sic)”
Another user, @PJVos, asked that tourism staff get priority during the vaccination roll-out.
He commented: “Welcome minister!
“Can we get our tourism workers prioritised for vaccinations so that we can welcome back guests from all over the globe? #WeDoTourism #SouthAfricaIsTravelReady.” (sic)