Dumisani plans to guide the conservation authority to a full revenue recovery after the Covid-19 impact.
Dumisani Dlamini has been promoted to the role of SANParks acting CEO after serving as CFO for four years.
“It was unexpected, as I was enjoying my CFO role,” Dumisani says. “But I am humbled by the board’s decision to trust me with the role of leading such an important institution in our country."
Dumisani joined SANParks in 2017 and has made a massive impact as the CFO during his tenure. “The CFO role gives you an opportunity to have a strategic organisational view, given that finance is the glue that holds the organisation together,” he says. “I have been involved in shaping the direction of the organisation in many ways, including the development of a 10-year financial strategy, a 20-year financial feasibility and sustainability model, as well as vision 2040 for the organisation,” he says.
All of this, Dumisani believes, has prepared him for the new role.
“The tourism industry has been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and there has been a slow but steady recovery.” Dumisani’s first course of action as the new acting CEO will be to guide SANParks to a full recovery by “growing revenue to acceptable levels with great cost optimisation”.
He explains that he aims to build a financially sustainable organisation through responsible tourism initiatives and to unlock new revenue streams for the conservation authority. “The financial sustainability of the organisation is key to achieving sustainable conservation and implementing socio-economic transformation that provides meaningful economic opportunities to our key stakeholders, in particular our neighbouring communities.”
