South Africa's eldest tour guide Mam’ Winifred Tofu who died at the age of 96 last year, was remembered and celebrated for her enormous contribution to tourism at the provincial Lilizela awards held in East London on Thursday evening.
The ceremony was held at The Venue@Hemingways.
Tofu was posthumously awarded with the MEC’s award, a new category which aims to boost an organisation, person or event whose contribution to the industry has elevated tourism as a vital sector of the provincial economy.
The award, which comes with R300000 worth of renovations towards a tourism product, was accepted by Tofu’s daughters Zinziswa and Nonkoliseko who are still running her Ngxingxolo Cultural Village in Mooiplaas.
Tofu was an advocate for Xhosa culture and heritage.
She was praised for staying true to the culture, in its absolute rawness, by hosting tourists in thatched mud huts smeared in cow dung, using washing basins to bath and mattresses as beds at her establishment.
Tofu, who was always clad in her traditional Xhosa attire, shared the dress style, songs and dance of the Xhosa people and elevated the small village to international markets by giving real-life experiences many rural villagers endure.
Zinziswa said she was excited to hear people still praising her mother about work she was passionate about, even after her death.
“We are over the moon, the tears we are crying are those of happiness because we didn’t see this happening. We have always had a vision for the village and now those dreams can come true,” she said.
Zinziswa said she hoped to get water tanks at the village, a few showers and double bunk beds, among other things for the establishment.
Delegates who attended the annual event included South African Tourism CFO Tom Bouwer, economic development, environmental affairs and tourism MEC Sakhumzi Somyo, Buffalo City Metro’s mayoral committee member Phumla Nazo and more than 100 tourism service providers.
Somyo said transformation in the tourism sector is taking place at a rapid rate with an increase of more than 35% in the past four years.
“In 2013, I was shocked to learn that only 1.33% of previously disadvantaged individuals (PDI) were represented in the sector. I then engaged with the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency and other tourism stakeholders on intervention strategies to boost the PDIs,” Somyo said.
“Earlier this year, the department gave 14 small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) the opportunity to attend Tourism Indaba in Durban through a variety of partnership programmes aimed at boosting those SMMES.
“Today we are happy to announce that PDIs awarded at the Lilizela Awards are sitting at 37.45%, in such a short period of time,” he said.
Somyo said this is what also sparked the introduction of the new category, the MEC’s award.
“Tourism is nothing less than a creativity that people would create by themselves, while a product can be anything that an individual can be proud of and that is what Mamu Tofu did with her cultural village,” Somyo said.
Other winners included Mdantsane’s NU7 hotspot, Mthombo’s Place, which scooped the title for emerging Entrepreneur of the Year.
Road Lodge East London won the best one-star rating for a one-star hotel.
General manager George Mini said it was an exciting time for the establishment. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
Tofu honoured at Lilizela awards: Oldest tour guide, 96, posthumously awarded at event
The ceremony was held at The Venue@Hemingways.
Tofu was posthumously awarded with the MEC’s award, a new category which aims to boost an organisation, person or event whose contribution to the industry has elevated tourism as a vital sector of the provincial economy.
The award, which comes with R300000 worth of renovations towards a tourism product, was accepted by Tofu’s daughters Zinziswa and Nonkoliseko who are still running her Ngxingxolo Cultural Village in Mooiplaas.
Tofu was an advocate for Xhosa culture and heritage.
She was praised for staying true to the culture, in its absolute rawness, by hosting tourists in thatched mud huts smeared in cow dung, using washing basins to bath and mattresses as beds at her establishment.
Tofu, who was always clad in her traditional Xhosa attire, shared the dress style, songs and dance of the Xhosa people and elevated the small village to international markets by giving real-life experiences many rural villagers endure.
Zinziswa said she was excited to hear people still praising her mother about work she was passionate about, even after her death.
“We are over the moon, the tears we are crying are those of happiness because we didn’t see this happening. We have always had a vision for the village and now those dreams can come true,” she said.
Zinziswa said she hoped to get water tanks at the village, a few showers and double bunk beds, among other things for the establishment.
Delegates who attended the annual event included South African Tourism CFO Tom Bouwer, economic development, environmental affairs and tourism MEC Sakhumzi Somyo, Buffalo City Metro’s mayoral committee member Phumla Nazo and more than 100 tourism service providers.
Somyo said transformation in the tourism sector is taking place at a rapid rate with an increase of more than 35% in the past four years.
“In 2013, I was shocked to learn that only 1.33% of previously disadvantaged individuals (PDI) were represented in the sector. I then engaged with the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency and other tourism stakeholders on intervention strategies to boost the PDIs,” Somyo said.
“Earlier this year, the department gave 14 small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) the opportunity to attend Tourism Indaba in Durban through a variety of partnership programmes aimed at boosting those SMMES.
“Today we are happy to announce that PDIs awarded at the Lilizela Awards are sitting at 37.45%, in such a short period of time,” he said.
Somyo said this is what also sparked the introduction of the new category, the MEC’s award.
“Tourism is nothing less than a creativity that people would create by themselves, while a product can be anything that an individual can be proud of and that is what Mamu Tofu did with her cultural village,” Somyo said.
Other winners included Mdantsane’s NU7 hotspot, Mthombo’s Place, which scooped the title for emerging Entrepreneur of the Year.
Road Lodge East London won the best one-star rating for a one-star hotel.
General manager George Mini said it was an exciting time for the establishment. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
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