Page 5 - Quality Assurance with TGCSA

Quality in Tourism

The Who’s Who of Team TGCSA

THE high standards upheld by the Tourism Grading Council The ‘stars’ of the TGCSA
of South Africa (TGCSA) can be attributed to what Bronwen Arguably, the “stars” of the TGCSA are the Provincial Quality Assurance
Auret, Chief Quality Assurance Officer, refers to as “the most Specialists and the Assessors who are out in the field across the country,
amazing team”. building trust, advising and working with tourism suppliers to elevate their
She says: “This, along with rigorous standard operating standards and become graded.
procedures, is how we manage quality assurance across the Let’s take a journey around South Africa and meet the Provincial Quality
tourism sector.” Assurance Specialists and their Assessors.
There are three levels of review and approval: Assessors,
Provincial Quality Assurance Specialists and the Property WESTERN CAPE
Approvals Executive Committee, which monitors and
maintains standards.
Let’s meet the team, based in the TGCSA offices, starting
with the two managers who oversee quality assurance and
development of products.

The TGCSA managers

Nelisiwe Yengwa
National Quality Assessment Manager
nelisiwe@tourismgrading.co.za
She is an accomplished professional
serving as the National Quality Teddy Ntsente
Assessment Manager at the TGCSA. Provincial Quality Assurance Specialist
With a BCom (Hons) degree in teddy@tourismgrading.co.za
tourism management specialising Born in Gugulethu, Cape Town, Ntsente obtained a BSocSci at the
in business, marketing and tourism University of Cape Town (UCT) and completed a postgraduate diploma
management, a certificate in total in organisation and management at UCT.
quality management from the He worked for Norwich Life Insurance as an Administrative Officer
University of Pretoria and a diploma responsible for sponsorships, advertising and promotions. This was
in international hotel management followed by a stint at the Southern African Music Rights Organisation
from Varsity College, Yengwa brings as the administrator of various local and international music bursaries
a wealth of expertise to her role. and scholarships.
With over 20 years of experience in the tourism and He was later recruited by the Western Cape’s Department of
hospitality sector, Yengwa’s impressive career includes Economic Development and Tourism to assist in the amalgamation of
working with renowned hospitality establishments such as various tourism bureaus into one destination marketing organisation
The Westcliff Hotel (now Four Seasons) and multiple Protea known as Cape Town Routes Unlimited (CTRU) – later known as Wesgro.
Hotels domestically and internationally. Ntsente served CTRU in various capacities as Board Secretary,
Notably, she gained invaluable international exposure Coordinator for Client & Business Relations and later as the Western
during her tenure in the UK, holding various esteemed Cape Tourism Marketing Coordinator for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He
positions in the hospitality industry. joined TGCSA in June 2012 as the Provincial Quality Assurance Specialist
At TGCSA, Yengwa is responsible for ensuring the quality for Cape Town and the Western Cape.
assurance of establishments across the country. Leading
a team of Provincial Quality Assurance Specialists and He oversees the following assessors:
Independent Grading Assessors, she leverages her extensive Arlene Brink
experience to continually uphold and enhance the standards 072 227 3598
of the industry. arlene@smithland.co.za
Western Cape
Noxolo Daniel Brink is a seasoned manager renowned for her
Quality Assurance and Development Manager expertise in hotel/guesthouse operations and
noxolo@tourismgrading.co.za property management.
Daniel is the Quality Assurance
and Development Manager at the
TGCSA. She has a BTech degree in
tourism management from the Cape
Peninsula University of Technology
and has completed several courses, Tsepo Rametse
including project management, and 083 773 3472
holds an executive development tseporametse@mweb.co.za
programme for women in tourism Western Cape and Eastern Cape
qualification from the University of Rametse is an Independent Assessor for the TGCSA
South Africa. with experience of more than 25 years in the
Daniel’s professional background includes 15 years in tourism and hospitality sector.
the tourism industry and 10 years in the private sector. Her
areas of interest include, quality assurance, development
of SMME products including villages, townships and small
dorpies (VTSD) as well as training and development.

TOURISM UPDATE QUALITY ASSURANCE WITH TGCSA GET GRADED January 2025 4