In 2014, Janice Paulsen became the first recipient of a FEDHASA bursary. At the time, she was juggling full-time studies in Hotel Management with late-night waitressing shifts at the V&A Waterfront, often not getting home until the early hours of the morning. Today, she is a sales professional at HotelTime Solutions, a FEDHASA member organisation, and someone who has made it her mission to return the belief that was once extended to her. This Women’s Month, she reflects on the journey from that first bursary to a career that has taken her across countries, industries, and back to the classroom – this time, as the one doing the encouraging. 

1. Can you tell us what receiving the first FEDHASA bursary in 2014 meant to you at that stage of your life and studies? 

It meant far more than financial assistance. I was in my second year of Hotel Management, working full-time as a waitress at the V&A Waterfront, with classes and practicals during the day and shifts that often ran until 2am. My annual fees were around R45,000 – before uniforms, chef’s equipment, and everything else the course required. My family, friends, and colleagues supported me wherever they could, but the debt was accumulating. 

One of my lecturers noticed how hard I was working and encouraged me to apply for the FEDHASA bursary. When I received the R50,000 award, the relief was profound. 

But more than the money, it felt like someone was saying, “We see how hard you’re working, and we believe in you.” I have carried that feeling with me ever since. 

2. How did the bursary support your journey into the hospitality industry, and what opportunities did it help to open up for you? 

It gave me something invaluable at that stage of my life: breathing room. The financial pressure eased, and I could focus on my studies without constantly worrying about the next expense. 

Looking back, though, I believe the bursary gave me something even more valuable than financial support – confidence. It reminded me that the sacrifices I was making were worthwhile, and that there was a place for someone like me in this industry. 

Since then, my career has taken me through many different areas of hospitality, across different countries, and alongside some of the most talented professionals in the field. The bursary was one of the early stepping stones that helped make all of that possible. 

3. As a woman working in hospitality, what have you found most rewarding about building a career in the industry? 

Discovering just how much possibility exists within it. When I started studying Hotel Management, I thought of hospitality in terms of hotels, restaurants, and operations. As my career developed, I found a much broader world – revenue management, distribution, technology, sales, training and development, and so much more. That diversity has allowed me to keep learning and evolving. 

As a woman, I’ve also found it rewarding to witness how much the industry is changing. Early in my career, women in senior leadership roles were far fewer. I made a commitment to myself that I wanted to be part of changing that, and in doing so, help create more opportunities for the women coming into the industry behind me. 

Ultimately, hospitality is a people industry. It has given me the chance to meet remarkable people, build meaningful relationships, and experience more than I ever imagined when I first started. It has become far more than a career. It has become a way of life. 

4. You now work for one of FEDHASA member companies. What has been your proudest achievement since receiving the bursary? 

Being able to return to where my journey began and give back. 

After completing my four years of study, Cape Town Hotel School employed me directly. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to return over the years for open days, motivational talks, and student engagements, including speaking to third-year students last year. 

Standing in front of those students and sharing my journey, from waitressing through the early hours to building a career across the industry, is incredibly rewarding. Being able to say, “I once sat exactly where you are,” makes it even more meaningful. 

Today, I’m proud to work for HotelTime Solutions, a company that is truly passionate about hospitality and actively supports organisations like FEDHASA. Being part of a team that shares that commitment matters to me deeply. 

5. As we celebrate Women’s Month, what message would you like to share with young women who are considering a career in hospitality? 

Put your hand up and ask questions. Seek out mentors and never be afraid to make your voice heard or take your place in rooms where important decisions are being made. 

If you have the passion, pursue it. This is an industry with heart, and there is still so much room for you to make your mark. 

And when you reach a point where you can support someone coming behind you, do it. Share your knowledge, open doors, offer encouragement, and believe in them. Sometimes, having just one person who sees your potential can make all the difference. I know that from experience. 

Shireen Onia didn’t set out to build a career in hospitality, but hospitality, as she puts it, had other ideas. Today, as a business and personal development coach, keynote speaker, and FEDHASA Cape Board Member, Shireen brings a perspective that stretches well beyond the traditional boundaries of the industry. Her work sits at the intersection of leadership, customer experience, and human potential, and her belief that hospitality’s greatest asset has always been its people runs through everything she does. This Women’s Month, she speaks candidly about resilience and what it really takes to lead with authenticity.

1. What first drew you to hospitality and tourism, and what’s kept you in it all these years?

Hospitality chose me! I originally wanted to be an accountant. While working in retail, someone recognised my positive attitude and the superior customer experience I created and encouraged me to pursue hospitality management. That single moment changed the course of my career.

What has kept me here is the incredible impact this industry has. Hospitality isn’t confined to hotels or restaurants anymore. Every industry wants to create memorable customer experiences, and they’re looking to hospitality for the skills and leadership to make that happen. Today, as an entrepreneur with businesses that support the tourism and hospitality sector, I’m still driven by the same passion. I serve on industry boards because I believe I have a responsibility to give back and because I know I still have something to contribute, especially when it comes to championing exceptional customer experiences and investing in the people who make them possible.

2. Women are still underrepresented in senior roles across the industry. What do you think businesses should be doing to change that?

Businesses need to create intentional pathways for women to lead, through mentorship, sponsorship, leadership development, and equitable opportunity. It also means challenging outdated assumptions about who looks like a leader. Women don’t need to be “ready enough” before they’re given a seat at the table. Often, they simply need someone to believe in their potential, just as someone once believed in mine.

When women lead, businesses become stronger, cultures become healthier, communities are built, and the industry becomes more representative of the people it serves. Women are already empowered – they simply need to step forward into that power with confidence, education, self-motivation, agility, and focus.

3. Looking back on your career, what’s the achievement you’re proudest of, not just for the result, but for the difference it made?

Without question, it’s rebuilding myself after adversity.

I lost my job twice after returning from maternity leave, and was brave enough to fight both cases. I made the difficult decision to close two businesses. At the time, these were among the lowest points of my life, both personally and professionally. But looking back, they are also what has driven much of my success today.

Adversity has a way of revealing what you’re really made of. Instead of allowing those circumstances to define me, I rebuilt and went on to build businesses with purpose, create opportunities for others, and continue serving the city, the country, and the industries I love.

That lived experience has changed me as a leader. It has taught me empathy and resilience. Today, when I mentor and coach entrepreneurs and individuals through difficult seasons, I speak from experience. Success isn’t about never falling. It’s about having the courage to get back up, and helping others believe they can do the same.

4. What advice would you give a young woman just starting out who wants to end up in a leadership role one day?

Whether you’re the youngest person in the room or starting over later in life, don’t let a number define what you’re capable of. Leadership is earned through your attitude, work ethic, willingness to learn, and the way you treat people. People will remember how you made them feel far more than what you said or did.

Say “yes” to opportunities that stretch you and build your competence before you chase the title. Find mentors who will challenge you, not just cheer you on.

Most importantly, be yourself. Authenticity is your greatest advantage. Leadership is about having the courage to lead in a way that’s true to who you are.

5. What makes you feel positive about the next generation of women coming into tourism and hospitality?

What gives me hope is that the next generation of women understands that you can’t pour from an empty cup.

They are far more aware of the importance of mental health and holistic wellbeing, especially in an industry that is fast-paced and often relentless. They recognise that success doesn’t have to come at the expense of themselves.

As a neurocoach and speaker on holistic wellbeing and mental health fitness, I’m a strong advocate for asking for help and prioritising every aspect of wellbeing. For too long, we’ve celebrated burnout as a badge of honour, and that has to change. When people feel supported and take care of themselves, they show up with more empathy and energy for those around them. The future of hospitality is about creating workplaces where people are seen, heard, and able to contribute meaningfully and thrive. I believe this generation has the courage to set that the new standard – and that’s an exciting prospect.

Mandy Massey’s path into tourism began in the world of interior design and property development, where she discovered early that great spaces mean nothing without the people who bring them to life. Today, as Vice Chairperson of FEDHASA KZN and Eastern Cape, she brings that same people-first philosophy to some of the industry’s most important conversations. Known for her belief that collaboration will always outperform competition, Mandy has spent her career connecting people around shared purpose and helping organisations choose progress over politics. This Women’s Month, she shares what that journey has taught her, and why she believes the next generation of women in tourism is poised to transform leadership entirely. 

1. What first drew you to hospitality and tourism, and what’s kept you in it all these years? 

My journey into tourism wasn’t really a conventional one. I came from a background in interior design and property development. Looking back, tourism and hospitality were naturally entwined in my work. 

I was planning and designing spaces around people – thinking about how they would arrive, how they would use the space, what would make them love it, what would keep them coming back and, ultimately, what kind of experience they would have there. 

What changed was the scale. I went from thinking about the success of an individual property to understanding how that success contributes to the growth of the businesses around it, the people it employs and the communities that benefit from it. Playing a part in developing the destinations around these properties and ensuring their sustainability became a new driving force for me. 

And witnessing the impact this has on the ground inspires me, fuels my fire and keeps me here. 

2. Women are still underrepresented in senior roles across the industry. What do you think businesses should be doing to change that? 

I believe we need to stop talking about empowering women and start creating real pathways for them. 

For me, that means identifying potential early, mentoring intentionally and giving women meaningful leadership opportunities before they’re expected to be “ready.” I’ve seen how much people grow when they’re given the opportunity to step up, rather than having to prove they can already do the job before they’re given the chance. 

Recognising that leadership comes in different styles is crucial. Some of the strongest leaders I’ve worked with lead through collaboration, listening and bringing people together rather than having the loudest voice in the room. 

I’ve seen the value that different perspectives bring to a boardroom table. They challenge the way we think and ultimately lead to better decisions. Hospitality is an industry built on people, and I believe our leadership should reflect the diversity of the people we serve. 

3. Looking back on your career, what’s the achievement you’re proudest of, not just for the result, but for the difference it made? 

Throughout my work, I’ve seen how easily organisations can become divided by different agendas, mandates or perspectives. If I look back at what I’m proudest of, it’s being able to bring people who don’t always agree together around a shared purpose and get them working towards the same outcome. 

I’ve seen what becomes possible when people stop worrying about who owns an idea or gets the credit and start focusing on what we’re actually trying to achieve. Collaboration achieves far more than competition, and when we get that right, everyone benefits – the industry, our destinations, our businesses and, ultimately, our communities. 

Knowing that I’ve played a part in creating that kind of collaboration and seeing the difference it can make on the ground, is something I’m incredibly proud of. 

4. What advice would you give a young woman just starting out who wants to end up in a leadership role one day. 

My simple answer: Don’t chase the title. Chase the opportunity to make a difference. Seek common ground and remember that the strongest leaders are those who can bring people together around a shared vision. 

Most importantly, choose unity over opinion. It has become one of the guiding principles in both my career and my life, because real progress begins when people stop trying to be right and start working together towards what is right. 

5. What makes you feel positive about the next generation of women coming into tourism and hospitality? 

What makes me positive is the energy and confidence I see in the next generation of women coming into our industry. They’re innovative, digitally confident and passionate about making tourism more inclusive and sustainable. 

They’re not afraid to ask difficult questions, challenge the way things have always been done or embrace new technology, while still understanding that tourism is ultimately about people and authentic experiences. 

What excites me most is their willingness to bring fresh thinking to the table. They don’t necessarily accept that something should continue to be done a certain way simply because that’s how it’s always been done. 

I think our responsibility now is to give them the space and opportunity to bring those ideas forward. If we do that, I’m genuinely excited to see what the next generation of women will bring to tourism and hospitality. 

Thobile Dlamini has spent 17 years in hospitality bringing people together and creating experiences that matter. As Director for Hospitality in the Commercial Development Department at the University of Cape Town and a FEDHASA Cape Board Member, she operates at the intersection of academia, operations, and industry leadership. Earlier this month, she was recognised as one of only eight winners in the Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality category at the prestigious Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans awards, selected from over 3,000 nominations. This recognition reflects not just what she has achieved, but what she represents: a Black woman in senior leadership who understands that visibility changes what other women believe is possible for themselves. This Women’s Month, she shares the experience and conviction behind that responsibility.

1. What first drew you to hospitality and tourism, and what’s kept you in it all these years?

Hospitality found me before I fully understood that it could become a career. What first drew me in was the opportunity to create experiences – to make people feel welcomed and cared for. I soon realised, however, that hospitality is as much about people and leadership as it is about service. There is something rewarding about bringing a team together, solving complex operational challenges, and seeing the immediate impact of your work on both guests and employees.

What has kept me here for 17 years is that no two days are the same, and there is always an opportunity to learn and influence someone else’s journey. Hospitality has taken me from a young woman given her first management opportunity to a director responsible for a diverse portfolio. It has demanded resilience, adaptability, and humanity, and those are qualities I continue to value.

2. Women are still underrepresented in senior roles across the industry. What do you think businesses should be doing to change that?

Representation will not change through intention alone. It requires deliberate action.

Businesses need to identify talented women early, give them meaningful operational exposure, place them in roles with real decision-making authority and P&L accountability, and provide sponsorship – not only mentorship. Mentors advise you; sponsors speak your name in rooms you have not yet entered.

Organisations must also examine the systems that quietly disadvantage women, such as inflexible work practices, unequal access to high-visibility assignments, pay disparities, and assumptions about leadership potential. We should set measurable targets, hold leaders accountable for progress, and create environments in which women do not have to choose between ambition and the other parts of their lives.

Most importantly, women must be appointed not only to support functions, but to the roles from which chief executives and industry leaders are traditionally developed.

3. Looking back on your career, what’s the achievement you’re proudest of, not just for the result, but for the difference it made?

The achievement I am proudest of is seeing people I have led grow in confidence and take on greater responsibility. A business result matters, but its value is multiplied when it is achieved by building capability that remains long after you leave.

As a Black woman in leadership, I am also deeply conscious that my presence can make possibility visible to someone else. The first time I saw a Black woman serving as an operations director, I understood that the role was possible for me too. If my career allows another young woman to look at a director’s position and think, “I can do that,” then that is a legacy of which I am immensely proud.

I may arrive in a room as one woman, but I stand on the shoulders of many, and I have a responsibility to leave the door open behind me.

4. What advice would you give a young woman just starting out who wants to end up in a leadership role one day?

Become excellent at the work, but do not wait for excellence alone to make you visible.

Be curious about the whole business: understand the guest, the people, the numbers, and how decisions are made. Ask for stretch assignments, seek operational exposure, and learn to communicate the value you create. Leadership is not only about working hard; it is about building judgement, courage, and the ability to bring others with you.

Find mentors but also look for sponsors who will advocate for you. Do not disqualify yourself because you do not yet meet every requirement. Many capabilities are built simply by doing.

At the same time, resist the pressure to imitate someone else’s leadership style. Your empathy and lived experience can become your greatest leadership advantage.

Finally, remember that a career rarely develops along a straight line. Take the lesson from every role, keep moving, and do not allow a temporary setback to become a permanent definition of what is possible for you.

5. What makes you feel positive about the next generation of women coming into tourism and hospitality?

The next generation gives me hope because they are entering the industry with a stronger sense of voice and possibility. They are willing to question practices that no longer serve people, and they understand that technology, sustainability, inclusion, and commercial performance are not separate conversations. They are also more open about the kind of workplaces and leaders they expect.

What excites me most is their refusal to accept that leadership must look or sound one particular way. Young women are building careers across operations, entrepreneurship, technology, food and beverage, tourism development, and the experience economy.

Our responsibility is not to ask them to navigate the same barriers we did, but to give them access, honest guidance, and room to lead, and then allow their ideas to transform the industry for the better.

Rosemary Anderson has spent decades creating guest experiences that matter and building people up in the process. As CEO of Stonehaven on Vaal, a FEDHASA Inland Board Member, and former FEDHASA National Chairperson, Rosemary brings both the long view and the ground-level perspective to some of the industry’s most important conversations. This Women’s Month, she speaks candidly about the career that chose her, the leaders she’s helped shape along the way, and why economic independence for women isn’t just a workplace issue, but one of the most powerful tools we have for building stronger families and communities. 

1. What first drew you to hospitality and tourism, and what’s kept you in it all these years? 

I didn’t deliberately choose a career in hospitality – in many ways, hospitality chose me.  Looking back, I realise it suits my personality, because I genuinely enjoy creating experiences that people remember. 

Whether it’s a birthday, wedding, anniversary, or simply providing a place where friends and family can relax together, I enjoy taking care of the finer details that make an occasion more enjoyable.  Hospitality is ultimately about making people feel welcome and valued, and hopefully exceeding their expectations. 

The greatest satisfaction, however, comes from watching colleagues develop. Seeing someone start as a housekeeper or waiter and progress into management, buy their first car or home, or put their children through university is far more rewarding than any business achievement. Creating opportunities for others has been the most satisfying part of my career. 

2. Women are still underrepresented in senior roles across the industry. What do you think businesses should be doing to change that? 

Businesses need to move beyond discussing diversity and demonstrate it through their appointments, promotions, and leadership opportunities. Actions always speak louder than policies. 

Hospitality is fundamentally a people business. It requires empathy, communication, organisation, the ability to anticipate guests’ needs, and multitasking skills. These are qualities that many women bring naturally to leadership roles. 

For women entering the industry, my advice is not to become distracted by outdated attitudes or stereotypes.  Instead, focus on becoming exceptionally good at what you do.  Deliver results consistently and professionally, and your work will speak for itself.  If someone underestimates you because you’re a woman, treat it as motivation rather than an obstacle, and if you can respond with good humour along the way, even better. 

3. Looking back on your career, what’s the achievement you’re proudest of, not just for the result, but for the difference it made? 

Without hesitation, creating employment opportunities. 

Our industry measures success in occupancy levels, covers served, average spend, and guest satisfaction scores.  Those metrics matter, but they’re not what I value most. 

What gives me the greatest sense of achievement is knowing that my business has provided employment for hundreds of people over the years and, in doing so, helped them improve their quality of life, support their families, and create educational opportunities for their children that they, themselves, never had. 

Businesses succeed because of their people.  Seeing those people succeed in their own lives is, for me, the greatest achievement. 

4. What advice would you give a young woman just starting out who wants to end up in a leadership role one day? 

The best advice I ever received came from my father: 

“If you want to get anywhere in life, you have to work harder than everyone else.” 

That advice has stayed with me throughout my career. 

I would also encourage young women to become known as people who find solutions rather than problems. Always ask yourself how you can assist, not why something can’t be done.  Learn to anticipate what colleagues or guests need before they ask – that is one of the foundations of excellent hospitality. 

Be reliable, be kind, continue learning, and don’t allow difficult narcissistic personalities to undermine your confidence.  Your professionalism and consistency will always outlast someone else’s ego. 

5. What makes you feel positive about the next generation of women coming into tourism and hospitality? 

What gives me the greatest optimism is that the next generation of women is entering our industry with greater confidence and higher expectations of themselves than ever before.  They’re less willing to accept outdated workplace attitudes, more prepared to contribute ideas and challenge convention, and they have a real appetite for continuous learning.  That can only strengthen our industry. 

Hospitality is also one of South Africa’s largest employers of women. Every new skill learned and every career opportunity has the potential to change not only one person’s future, but that of an entire family. 

That is why I believe our industry has an important role to play in addressing one of South Africa’s greatest challenges: gender-based violence (GBV).  While GBV is a complex issue with many contributing factors, economic dependence often makes it far more difficult for women to leave abusive relationships. Employment, career development, and financial security help remove one of those barriers by giving women greater independence and choice. 

If I could wish for one thing this Women’s Day, it would be for every woman to have the opportunity to become financially independent.  Economic independence gives women the freedom to create opportunities for themselves and build the future they choose.  Most importantly, no woman should ever feel compelled to remain in an abusive relationship because she lacks the financial means to leave.  Every woman deserves the confidence, dignity, and security that comes from being able to stand on her own two feet. 

As an industry, if we continue creating opportunities for women to grow, lead, and succeed, we will not only build stronger hospitality businesses – we will help build stronger families and communities. 

Viva Women in Hospitality! 

On 22 July 2026, FEDHASA, in partnership with Big Ambitions, hosted a free compliance webinar – Foreign Nationals on Your Team: What Every Hospitality Employer Needs to Know – bringing together immigration attorney Julia Willand of IMCOSA and labour consultant Brett Susan of Integrated Labour Solutions, moderated by FEDHASA Cape Chair Lee-Anne Singer.

This toolkit covers everything discussed in that session, along with practical resources to help you take action.

WATCH THE RECORDING

The full 60-minute webinar is available to watch on YouTube.

Julia and Brett speak to the legal landscape, your obligations as an employer, the documents you need on file, the ZEP and LSP situation, pending waiver applications, how to handle irregular or fraudulent documents, the correct labour law process when employment can no longer continue, and how to respond to unauthorised groups demanding access to your premises.

WHAT’S IN THIS TOOLKIT

The following resources are available to download and use in your business:

FAQ Sheet

The most frequently asked questions from the webinar, and from the daily work of our expert speakers, answered in plain language.

We are grateful to both Julia and Brett for their generous contribution of time and expertise in making this resource possible.

IMCOSA slides presented during the webinar

We’ve included the slides that Julia presented during the webinar for a quick overview:

A NOTE ON INDIVIDUAL CASES

Immigration and labour law is complex, and almost every situation requires individual assessment. The resources in this toolkit are intended as general guidance — they are not a substitute for professional advice.

If you have a specific situation that requires expert input, our webinar speakers are happy to help.

For immigration queries, contact Julia Willand at IMCOSA:
info@imcosa.co.za

For labour law queries, contact Brett Susan at Integrated Labour Solutions:
bretts@ils-sa.com

The latest Statistics South Africa Food & Beverage Survey (May 2026) paints a concerning picture for one of South Africa’s largest employers.

While many may view a decline of only 0.3% in real income as relatively insignificant, those operating restaurants, pubs, coffee shops and food service businesses know that these figures tell a very different story. A story restaurateurs have felt for many months – but is only now being reflected in the stats.  In real terms (constant 2019 prices), food and beverage income declined by 0.3% in May 2026 compared with May 2025.  Looking at the latest three-month period, food and beverage income fell by 0.2%, with restaurants and coffee shops declining by 1.7%, making them the largest contributor to the industry’s decline.

Seasonally adjusted figures tell a similar story, with income decreasing by 0.6% over the latest three months, once again driven primarily by restaurants and coffee shops.

These are not simply statistics.

They represent thousands of business owners who are working longer hours, carrying greater financial risk and employing millions of South Africans while trying simply to survive.

Turnover is Flat – Costs are Not

The greatest challenge facing the hospitality industry is that turnover has remained largely stagnant while operating costs continue to increase at unprecedented levels.

Every significant expense faced by restaurants has increased substantially over recent years, from electricity tariffs to food – to every single input cost.

For many hospitality businesses, these cost increases have far exceeded consumer inflation.  In practical terms, restaurants today generally require annual revenue growth of between 10% and 15% simply to maintain the same profitability.  Any increase below this often means the business is actually going backwards financially.

This is why a real decline of 0.3% is far more significant than it first appears.

Government Must Understand the Reality

The hospitality industry fully supports legislation that protects employees and customers.

However, new legislation must also be practical, affordable and proportionate.

Unfortunately, government departments often introduce new compliance requirements without fully appreciating the cumulative financial impact on businesses that already operate on extremely small profit margins.  Although aimed at improving workplace health and safety, these regulations introduce additional obligations.  Each of these requirements carries a cost.

For larger organisations these costs may be manageable.

For independent restaurants, cafés, pubs and family-owned food businesses already operating on margins often below 5%, every additional compliance requirement places further pressure on their viability.

No individual regulation may appear excessive in isolation.  The problem is the cumulative effect.

When combined with escalating municipal charges, increasing utility costs, higher food prices, rising wages and ongoing economic uncertainty, another layer of compliance can easily become the difference between remaining open and closing permanently.

One of South Africa’s Greatest Job Creators

The irony is that restaurants are among South Africa’s greatest creators of employment.  Few industries employ more people per square metre of trading space than the hospitality sector.  Importantly, our industry creates employment opportunities for people from every educational background.

Restaurants provide first jobs for school leavers, opportunities for individuals with limited formal education, practical workplace training, career development and entrepreneurial opportunities.  In a country where unemployment remains one of our greatest national challenges, this sector should be encouraged – not burdened.  Every restaurant that closes means job losses, suppliers lose customers, farmers lose markets, local economies lose spending.

The ripple effect extends far beyond a single business.

A Different Approach is Needed

FEDHASA believes there is a better way.

Government should actively work with the hospitality industry to create an environment where businesses can grow, invest and employ more South Africans.

This includes:

• Simplifying regulatory compliance for small and medium-sized hospitality businesses.
• Conducting meaningful economic impact assessments before introducing new regulations.
• Recognising hospitality as a strategic employment sector deserving of support.
• Ending the ongoing disruption to essential bulk services that is undermining business sustainability.
• Moderating above-inflation increases in rates and utility charges.
• Creating incentives for businesses that expand employment and skills development.

Hospitality is an Investment in South Africa

Restaurants are far more than places where people eat – they are community gathering places, tourism attractions, training grounds for future professionals and one of the country’s most accessible entry points into employment.

The latest Statistics South Africa figures should serve as a warning.

Our industry remains resilient, innovative and optimistic.

But resilience cannot replace profitability.

If South Africa genuinely wishes to reduce unemployment, stimulate tourism and grow local economies, then the restaurant and food service sector must be recognised as a strategic partner in economic development – not simply another industry upon which additional costs and regulatory obligations can be imposed.

Supporting hospitality businesses is not merely good for the industry.

It is good for employment.

It is good for tourism.

It is good for communities.

And ultimately, it is good for South Africa.

The invitation was extended by Gustav Pieterse, FEDHASA Inland Chairperson, which represents the hospitality sector across Gauteng, the Free State, North West, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo. It reflects FEDHASA’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that every segment of the hospitality industry, and every professional within it, has a seat at the table.

The South African Concierge Forum will be represented within FEDHASA Inland by Masood Sadulla, Golden Key Member and Chief Concierge and Guest Experience Manager at the Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa, together with Deon Prinsloo and Kagisho Ditira, co-founders of D&D Concierge Consultancy.

“The concierge is often the first and last point of contact a guest has with a property, and in many ways, with South Africa itself,” said Pieterse. “Bringing concierge professionals formally into FEDHASA’s structures is a natural and necessary step. Their expertise in guest experience, their role in shaping perceptions of our destinations, and their contribution to service excellence make them an integral part of this industry. We are proud to welcome them.”

Founded in 1949, FEDHASA is South Africa’s recognised national trade association for the hospitality industry, representing hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, conference venues, and catering establishments under one banner. Recognised by government as the official voice of the sector, FEDHASA advocates on behalf of its members on legislative and policy matters, supports skills development and transformation, and works to create a favourable operating environment for businesses of all sizes.

D&D Concierge Consultancy, known for its bespoke concierge training, consulting, and industry development work, has played a significant role in elevating the standards and visibility of concierge services across South Africa. The consultancy works closely with hotels, luxury establishments, and concierge professionals to enhance guest experience and operational excellence – values that align closely with FEDHASA’s own.

“This invitation is not only an honour, but a meaningful step forward for the concierge community,” said Prinsloo. “Being recognised by FEDHASA affirms the vital role concierges play within the broader hospitality ecosystem, and we look forward to contributing to industry growth, strengthening standards, and ensuring a strong, unified voice for concierge professionals.”

For Ditira, the significance of the moment extends beyond the immediate milestone. “This recognition marks a defining moment for the concierge profession, giving us a long-overdue voice within South Africa’s hospitality landscape. We are ready to contribute and to grow alongside an organisation that has championed this industry for more than 75 years.”

The collaboration is expected to open new avenues for professional development, networking, and closer alignment between concierge professionals and the wider hospitality sector, reinforcing FEDHASA’s position as the home of every voice in South African hospitality.

The hospitality industry has a habit of describing its talent problem in passive terms. The gap exists. Standards have slipped. Graduates are arriving underprepared. As though it is weather – something that happens to the industry rather than something the industry has, in part, created.

“So many young people stand at the edge of the industry, ready to step forward, but not yet equipped to thrive.”

That line was not written by a consultant. It came from a group of final-year hospitality students – the winning team at this year’s Future Leaders Challenge South Africa – who were asked to come up with solutions to the education-to-employment gap and returned, after nine weeks of research, with ideas that should make every senior hospitality professional uncomfortable.

Not because the ideas are radical. But because we didn’t think of them first.

The Future Leaders Platform was built precisely for this moment – an international ecosystem consisting of six interconnected initiatives that collectively strengthen workforce development through education, industry collaboration, leadership development, and challenge-based learning. It operates across multiple markets, with each country addressing its own workforce priorities while contributing to a broader international exchange of knowledge and innovation. Its flagship initiative in South Africa, the Future Leaders Challenge, puts that ambition into practice.

The cost nobody is counting

The industry discusses the education-to-employment gap often, but it’s rarely addressed with pointed action. Gustav Pieterse, FEDHASA Inland Chair and General Manager at The Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa, puts a number on what that lack of action costs: between six and 12 months’ salary per new hire – the period spent training a graduate who arrived technically qualified but practically underprepared.

“In real terms, the gap costs us momentum,” he says. “Less consistency, more pressure on teams, and missed opportunities to elevate the guest experience from the beginning.”

Rather than a lack of talent or motivation, the root cause, as the students themselves identified it, is a structural disconnect between what institutions are equipped to teach and what employers need from the outset. A graduate applying for a front desk role may understand the theory, but they may not yet have handled a difficult guest, resolved a booking error under pressure, or operated the software a property runs on.

The gap widens even further for students from rural areas. Opportunities exist in tourism hotspots, but transport issues and high costs make those opportunities practically unreachable, so capable young people redirect their energy elsewhere. And the industry loses them before it ever had them.

That is the scale of what needs fixing. What follows is what happens when you hand the brief to the people closest to the problems.

What 20-year-olds built in nine weeks

The Future Leaders Challenge, one of the flagship initiatives of the Future Leaders Platform, operates on challenge-based learning, placing participants inside real workforce problems alongside industry and educators to develop leadership, future skills, and employability. At this year’s event, three finalist teams were given nine weeks and a single brief: How do you envision effective solutions for reducing the education-to-employment gap for first-time job seekers in tourism and hospitality?

Their responses demonstrated startup-level thinking.

The winning team from the Central University of Technology developed Pressure 2 Empower, an AI-driven training simulator that places first-time workers in realistic, high-pressure hospitality scenarios before they ever set foot on a property. Their logic was that if the problem is insufficient practical exposure, then it makes sense to create a scalable environment where that exposure happens before a young professional even lands their first job.

The International Hotel School team built Nexsphere, a career platform combining swipe-based recruitment with embedded mentorship, upskilling courses, and an AI chatbot that lets new entrants ask the questions they are too self-conscious to raise in the workplace. For employers, it pre-vets applicants. For students, it removes the intimidation that keeps capable young people from taking that first step.

The University of Mpumalanga team presented GradLink with HospitAble, a competency-based platform that replaces the traditional CV with verified proof of skills, built through simulations, scenario assessments, and trial shifts. Employers see actual performance, and graduates get a fair shot based on what they can do rather than what they can describe.

Three teams with three different entry points – but with one shared conclusion: that the system needs practical tools, accessible platforms, and a fundamental rethink of how job-readiness is defined.

Pieterse, who watched every presentation, commented: “I thought I came to watch our future leaders finding their voice. But what I actually saw was our future leaders showing they already have one.”

The event was structured to ensure that talent and opportunity could find each other, delivering a Job Market Fair, dedicated networking sessions, and direct engagement between students and employers throughout the two days.

“Within weeks of the event concluding, approximately half of all participating students had secured internships or employment with industry partners. One student has already taken up a position at The Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa – a direct result of connections made during the challenge,” said Hubert Ummels, Founder of GameChangers and Future Leaders Platform.

“However, while internships and employment are important outcomes, they represent only one part of a broader mission: helping young people develop the leadership capabilities, future skills, and confidence required to thrive throughout their careers,” he added.

The 2027 Future Leaders Challenge – the next milestone in the Future Leaders Platform’s year-round work – is already in development, and the dates and venue are confirmed: 4–5 May 2027, NH Sandton, Johannesburg.

For the first time, a dedicated FEDHASA Membership Day will be incorporated into the programme – a platform for hospitality leaders and FEDHASA members from across South Africa to contribute directly to conversations around workforce development, talent attraction, education-industry alignment, and the future skills the sector requires.

FEDHASA member opportunities also include early access to top-performing students throughout the challenge – before the broader market sees them – and a 15% discount on Future Leaders Challenge partnership fees.

The Future Leaders Challenge is the most visible expression of FEDHASA repositioning itself in relation to the education sector.

“We’re stepping into a far more intentional role,” explains Pieterse. “This is no longer about support from the sidelines. We’re now actively co-creating a more sustainable workforce ecosystem that enables education, industry, and emerging talent to grow together.”

Pieterse’s challenge to any member considering whether to get involved is simply: “If you’re not in the room, you’re missing a front-row seat to your future workforce. The real value isn’t just in observing but in shaping. Because by the time talent reaches us, the foundation is already set.”

The structural question

Individual events matter, but structural change matters more.

South Africa’s hospitality sector cannot solve its talent pipeline challenge one job fair at a time. What is required is a sustained, formal relationship between industry and education, where employers help decide what is taught, where government creates the enabling conditions, and where the distance between a lecture hall and a hotel lobby is deliberately, systematically shortened.

“This is what distinguishes the Future Leaders Platform from a traditional recruitment or training initiative,” said Ummels. “Rather than bringing a single stakeholder to the table, it brings all of them – educators, employers, government, and communities – and holds them there, in ongoing collaboration, throughout the year.”

The students who stood on that stage in Johannesburg in May had already done their part. They had identified the problem with clarity, researched it with rigour, and proposed solutions with confidence.

The question the broader industry now needs to answer is simple: are we doing the same?

South Africa’s hospitality sector is facing a deepening frontline staff crisis, one that operators say has been building since 2019 and can no longer be deferred. At its heart is a challenge as simple as it is difficult to solve: many of today’s hotel workers have never been a guest in the type of property where they work.

The intuitive service knowledge that previous generations brought to the job through lived experience – knowing what good feels like, what attentive looks like, what a properly set table communicates – can no longer be assumed. It has to be taught, from scratch, often in formats that standard training content does not reach.

It was one of several hard truths that senior operators from Accor, Radisson, Capital Hotels, Southern Sun, City Lodge, Minor Hotels, and the Saxon put on the table together at the inaugural Frontline Workforce Roundtable Series, held at the Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa in Johannesburg on 13 May. The session was convened by hospitality learning and development company FUEL in partnership with FEDHASA Inland and addressed a conversation the industry had been avoiding for years.

“This is a forum that has been lacking from a FEDHASA perspective for years,” said Gustav Pieterse, General Manager of the Saxon Hotel and FEDHASA Inland Chairperson, who attended the session. “It is critical, not just for the federation, but for the industry as a whole.”

The workforce challenge

The roundtable identified several compounding pressures that operators say have been building since 2019.

The changed labour pool was among the most critical issues addressed. Beyond the experience gap, operators flagged that a matric certificate can no longer be assumed to indicate functional literacy, meaning standard training content is frequently pitched above the level the learner can absorb. The training happens. The knowledge does not land. Standards drift as a result.

Training and L&D budgets have absorbed a disproportionate share of industry cost cuts across the same period. The middle management layer lost during Covid-19 has not recovered, leaving remaining managers to carry functions that once belonged to multiple colleagues, significantly reducing the number of internal voices making the case for staff investment.

“The bar for ‘good enough’ has been moving,” Pieterse said. “Not because anyone decided that was acceptable, but because the day-to-day pressure to keep operations running made it easy to defer the harder work of developing people properly. The room was clear: that trajectory is not sustainable.”

What operators say is working

Operators shared solutions they reported as producing measurable results in their own properties.

Hiring through existing employee networks has proven one of the most reliable retention tools. When a staff member refers a candidate, they carry personal accountability for that person’s success, an effect one participant described as “a bit of indirect blackmail, but it works.”

Structured multi-year progression pathways – from Youth Employment Service (YES) placements through internship to permanent employment, with each stage visible to the staff member upfront – give people a reason to stay. Those who can see where they are going are far less likely to leave for a marginal pay increase elsewhere.

Cross-skilling across departments, widely adopted as a Covid necessity, has become a talent identification tool. Several operators described staff whose potential only became visible once they moved across the property. In one case, a learner who independently completed optional engineering content in her own time surfaced a career direction her manager had never identified.

The room also challenged generic onboarding, with operators increasingly building differentiated induction journeys for different entrant types rather than running all new hires through the same programme.

Perhaps the most counterintuitive finding: operators who invest in staff development and lose those staff to other properties reported better outcomes than those who withheld development. Alumni become ambassadors and many return. “Either way, the investment stays in the industry,” Pieterse said.

Culture as the strongest retention lever

Across every practice the roundtable discussed, a single thread emerged. The properties with the lowest turnover and strongest service were not necessarily those with the best programmes or the highest training budgets. They were the ones where staff genuinely believed someone in the building cared about them.

“If people believe you care about the things they are battling with at home, they are far more likely to care about the things you ask them to care about at work,” one participant said.

Culture of belonging – the felt sense that a person’s future is possible in this place – was named by multiple operators as the single most reliable retention lever available. Not a policy. Not a perk. A daily practice of genuine care.

“That is also the reason for optimism,” Pieterse said. “The most powerful tool available to this industry is not something that has to be bought or outsourced. It is something hospitality has always known how to provide.”

Download the discussion report HERE.