The Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Nqobizitha Ndhlovu has appointed media and communications consultant, Ray Mawerera as the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) substantive board chairman. This was announced by the minister yesterday.
“I wish to also announce the appointment of Mr Ray Mawerera as the substantive Chair of the ZTA Board. The incoming Board Chairperson is vastly experienced in marketing and business leadership which should prove handy in taking the ZTA forward,” Minister Ndhlovu said.
The minister also announced that Dr Precious Sibiya, who had been the acting board chairperson since 2019, would revert to her previous position as the deputy chairperson of the board.
“In doing so I also take a moment to thank the outgoing board chairperson, Mrs Precious Sibiya for her guidance of the Authority during the past few months. I wish to also advise that Dr Sibiya now assumes the post of vice chairperson of the ZTA board,” said Minister Ndhlovu.
The minister stressed that the ZTA had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating that Mawerera is expected to steer the authority through challenges and beyond.
“The sector, like many different (others), has been….hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. I subsequently want to underscore the significance of the brand new board chairperson to make sure that the ZTA takes up its rightful place and performs a crucial function within the advertising of the nation,” said the minister.
Mawerera is an accomplished and experienced media and corporate communications practitioner with a career spanning almost 40 years and covering many media houses and corporates such as the Anglo American Corporation. He also worked in the hospitality sector before founding his own public relations consultancy, Words and Images Corporate Communications in 2002.
