Meetings

Minutes of Committee Meeting
Date: 22 April 2025
Time: 10:00–12:00
Venue: W17 Firehouse Offices
Chair: Johan van Biljon

Attendees:

• Johan van Biljon

• Sam Wenger

• Willem Heckroodt

• Willie du Toit

• Henry Zeiler

• Online: JJ Pieterse, Lesiba Fothane

Apologies: Mammy, Anton ,Tefo, Piet 
 

Agenda

1. SAQA Professional Body Feedback

2. Indaba 2025

3. Membership

4. WFTGA

5. Educationals

1. SAQA Professional Body Application Feedback

Johan opened the meeting, welcomed attendees, and thanked Willie for providing snacks. He acknowledged everyone’s time and contributions to the Institute.

He provided an update on the SAQA application. Despite limited willingness from FGASA and Adventure Guides to engage in formal consultations, IPTGSA had engaged both parties individually. It was noted that SA AIA only recently announced, in their April newsletter, their intent to register as a Professional Body with SAQA – a significant development for the sector.

FGASA has also indicated they will cease training activities by June 2026, which may limit their future involvement in the sector.

Following this, Johan and Sam attended SAQA’s online training session on 14 March 2025. As a result, they revised all supporting documentation. A formal request for the necessary application templates was submitted to SAQA on 14 April 2025. IPTGSA is now awaiting a response. A full list of actions is recorded in internal documents.

2. Indaba 2025

Johan confirmed that IPTGSA will participate in Indaba 2025, sharing Stand ICC 002 under the association's banner from 13–15 May 2025.

Sam will be overseas during this period and unable to attend. Johan, Lesiba Fothane, and Buti Bacela (IPTGSA member) will represent the Institute. Willem Heckroodt kindly volunteered to join the team.

JJ was thanked for arranging complimentary accommodation for attendees. Johan will coordinate the printing of additional business cards for Lesiba and Willem. Final travel arrangements will be communicated in due course.

3. Membership

Johan reported that there are currently 63 members on the list, but only 24 have paid their subscription fees. The list will be maintained as-is for the purposes of the SAQA application.

Sam noted that a new French guide has applied for membership but still has outstanding documentation. It was agreed that a stronger membership drive is necessary and will likely be more successful following formal recognition from SAQA.

4. WFTGA Membership

It was unanimously agreed to postpone the WFTGA membership application until the outcome of the SAQA application is known.

5. Educationals

Sam reiterated the importance of organising more educational activities. A pamphlet detailing offerings at the Kloofendal site was shared. It was agreed that such third-party educational offerings will be actively promoted through IPTGSA’s channels.

Meeting closed: 12:00

The first 2025 IPTGSA committee meeting in January had resulted in kickstarting several actions needed to remain relevant and focused on the present and future of our segment of the tourism industry.

Discussions, among other topics, centered around the Institute’s application to the South African Qualifications Authority, SAQA for short, for registration as a professional body to bestow the successful member the title “Professional Tourist Guide”.

It has come to the Institute leaders’ attention that there are other tourist guide entities, namely Adventure Guides, FGASA and perhaps diluted the NFTGA, are pursuing the registration with SAQA as well.

The committee mandated the chair and vice chair to seek face to face meetings with those entities to establish where they are and how we can cooperate or integrate.

Mails for “Meeting request” were sent out.

The reply from FGASA lead us to have a meeting to familiarize one another with one’s pursuits and to bring us up to speed with facts about the past, present and outlooks to the future. FGASA proposed a meeting on the 30 January in their new offices at Hoedspruit, which we took up.

The two of us, Johan van Biljon and Sam Wenger, left Johannesburg early in the morning by road to go and meet with them in their boardroom. ( 30 January 2025)

A more then 2 hours meeting with 3 of their office staff was fruitful for both parties in that we managed to do away with misunderstandings and find common ground on both sides.

Johan and I learned of some parameter changes by SAQA seemingly verbally disclosed to FGASA and maybe also to the Adventure Guides Association.

FGASA correctly stressed in the meeting that the diversity of what tourist guides actually do in their work as; e.g. adventure guides, culture guides, nature and trails guides, are far apart. Far apart enough to justify each “discipline” to have its own professional body.

This consideration portrays a different angle we were so far not made aware of in all our contacts with SAQA.

On a side note: Apparently, the accounting professionals have more than one professional body approved for their different disciplines, each looking after its own designation with its title.

We need to verify what SAQA’s latest take on having more than one professional body for Tourist Guides of different disciplines is, and see how it impacts on our going ahead with our SAQA application.

We will keep the committee and our membership informed in due course.

It is not befitting to go into too many details emerging from the FGASA meeting. However, we can comfortably report that our endeavors in all this so far, in time and money, finds us on track and in a good position to further push on with the finalization of our submission to SAQA.

One of the meeting outcomes now is that we setup a meeting with the 3 Tourist Guide Associations (disciplines) to collaborate and further discuss all our individual needs and parameters.

This should lead us to come to the point where each of the 3 associations support and endorse the other 2 associations’ application to SAQA.

Driving back to Johannesburg was on the same day and gave us ample time to discuss and think many things over. The pursuits of these goals are ongoing and gain momentum.

Happy guiding and kind regards to you all,

Johan and Sam

Workshop 17 Firehouse on 5 March 2024 at 10:00

Agenda 

1. Welcome 
2. Attendance 
3. Treasurers feedback 
4. Feedback from N2 Roadshow 
5. Matters to discuss

• AGM date and proclamation 
• Educationals 
• Other Matters 

Closing 

Agenda 

• Welcome
• Attendance 
• AGM 7 August 2023 Finalisation 
• Discussion
• Feedback 
  • Indaba feedback
  • NDT professionalisation progress
    • Urban econ - Professionalisation of the tourism sector , meetings attended 
  • Invite to Registrars meeting for presentation  24 August 2023 ( KZN possible)
  • Invite to the 2023 Freestate Provincial  Tourism Career Expo  Bloemfontein 
• Educationals 
• Discussion and matters arising
• Closure 

Minutes of meeting 

1. The meeting was held at W17 The Bank room 201 and started at 09:30 ( slight problems with tech)

2. The members were welcomed by Johan who said he appreciated the time in what seemed to be a very busy time tourism-wise.

    

3. Attendees	Apologies
   Johan Van Biljon Sam Wenger Willem Heckroodt Tim Smith Mammy Raselabe ( late due tpt) JJ Pieterse  ( online from CTN) Willie du Toit	Lesiba Fothane Piet Nel  Anton Joubert

4. It was confirmed that we will hold the IPTGSA AGM 2023 on 4 August 2023 as an online meeting due to the spread of the members geographically and would possibly have more attendance. It was agreed that as per the constitution only paid-up members would be able to vote. At the AGM 2022, it was agreed ( to ease paperwork) all membership will run concurrently with the financial year from 1st March to the end of February. It was commented that the IPTGSA membership has shrunk considerably due to membership payments being due 28 Feb (the grace period after the date was still accepted) This AGM2023 is a non-voting Agm as the committee is elected every 2 years. Also agreed was that the meeting should be kept as compact as possible and only raised matters would be addressed. Johan confirmed that an email detailing this would be emailed to all current members and non-members.
5. Feedback 
   1. Indaba 2023 . Johan, Lesiba, and Sam attended Indaba and were surprised to find a fully equipped stand for IPTGSA in the ICC . Although an application was made no reply was received and it was seen that the stand was not allocated. The surprise was great as all requirements were taken along and very good feedback and publicity were made for IPTGSA (Indaba)
   2. NDT Professionalasation. NDT in the last few months has gone on a major drive to professionalise the whole tourism industry and appointed Urban Econ as a consultancy to supply a plan for this action. IPTGSA has been core in the consultations on guiding issues. The last online consultation was on 19 July 2023. Attached below find the presentation.
   3. It was confirmed that the NDT has invited the Institute to present at the upcoming registrars meeting to be held on 24 August 2023 . This was seen as a great breakthrough and change of attitude of the NDT.JJohan informed members that this will possibly incur costs as it would possibly be in KZN. This was approved and details will follow.
   4. The IPTGSA has been invited to exhibit at the careers expo to be held on 4 August 2023 in Bloemfontein. This item was debated and approval was given for attending. It is suggested that an educational is organised to coincide and Johan will look into this. to confirm the IPTGSA has been accepted and the documentation is attached. 
6. Educationals Confirming that 6 members attended the opening of the new Protea Diamonds showroom a strategic partners in sponsorship, this was appreciated. Other educationals should be submitted , It was accepted that as most guides were working at present each educational will be looked at in the context 
7. General Discussion   JJ Piettrse was informed that Johan would be in Capetown between tours 2,3,4 September and could be used as a general meeting.
8. Meeting closed at 12:30