Dream Hotels & Resorts (DHR) has announced that former SA Tourism CEO, Sisa Ntshona, is partnering with the company and is in the process of securing an equity stake in the company via Makhanyakude Holdings, a hospitality management operations consortium.

Nick Dickson, CEO of DHR, said Ntshona had been a key player in steering the tourism industry through the devastation caused by COVID-19, and that the company was honoured to have him directly connected to the brand.

“We value his expertise and view our collaboration as a strategic step towards unlocking opportunities across South Africa’s tourism and hospitality value chain, not just for us as a business, but for the greater community within the sector.” 

Along with Ntshona, the team at Makhanyakude Holdings consists of well-respected industry leaders boasting an unrivalled depth of experience. At the core of this broad-based shareholding is an inclusive network of female entrepreneurs, young changemakers and tourism SMEs.

“Whilst many have abandoned the tourism sector, we fundamentally believe in its recovery and future prospects,” said Ntshona. “By working closely with Dream Hotels & Resorts, a proudly South African company sharing our core values around growth, inclusivity and transformation, we can bring about some real change.

“We have a particular interest in partnering with public- and private-sector tourism players to unlock the full potential of South Africa’s rich tourism,” he explained.

Ntshona said he believed the alliance was poised to create the right framework in order to drive meaningful investment, guaranteed to restore and re-activate the tourism sector. “What we’ve learnt during the COVID crisis is the value of working together and supporting each other. Everything that happens is a chance to move forward but most of all to actively create opportunities instead of waiting for them,” he concluded.