Thebe Tourism Group Bulletin

Medi-Clinic honours Compass SA

On the 12th of October, Medi-Clinic Southern Africa hosted a prestigious dinner at Skilpadvlei Wine Farm near Stellenbosch. The dinner was held to honour those suppliers who have been instrumental in the growth of the group and assisting Medi-Clinic in consistently providing quality medical care to its patients.

The 29 suppliers represented the full portfolio of supply to Medi-Clinic and included advertising and publishing companies, engineering, architectural, IT, catering and cleaning services. Compass SA was the only catering company to have been invited and rewarded in this category as one of the Top Service Providers of the Year...full story

First Car Rental goes green

Environmental Footprint, also expressed as Ecological Footprint, measures humanity’s demand on nature. In terms of a company’s footprint it measures how much of earth’s resources it consumes during its manufacturing processes, daily operations and waste disposal. A lot of companies talk about ‘going green’ and reducing their environmental footprint but very few implement plans that make a significant difference in the way that they operate. Even fewer companies educate the consumer about the environmental impact of their purchase.

First Car Rental is a company that has taken the environmental impact of their operations very seriously. Policies implemented throughout the organisation are designed to reduce their footprint and to educate customers about the environmental impact that their vehicle rental will have and empower them to make informed decisions...full story

Rand Card gives FX Africa the edge

For tourists to South Africa, looking for a safe and secure way to transact, the FX direct Rand Card is the answer. This card enables tourists to load a desired amount on the card, at a fixed exchange rate. The card can be used at all ATMs and all points of sale throughout South Africa. “The FX direct Card is pin-protected and backed by Standard Bank’s Mastercard,” says Wayne Good, MD of Pay DNA Payment Solutions, a subsidiary of and service provider to FX Africa.

The card offers the user convenience and safety as, apart from not needing to carry cash or traveller’s cheques, FICA compliance is handled on registration, so there’s no need to carry identification either. Instant balance and statement information can be obtained online on the program’s dedicated website...full story

Contents

Main
CEO's message
Editor's note

Thebe Tourism shines at the Thebe Excellence Awards

Market leading technology from Club Travel

Outstanding service at Yes We Can

INGLOT Cosmetics hits Cape Town

Group Highlights

Medi-Clinic honours Compass SA

First Car Rental goes green

Rand Card gives FX Africa the edge

CEO's Message

As we look back and reflect on the year 2010, there is no highlight that dominates the scene more than the FIFA soccer World Cup, an event that is a source of great pride for the South African nation. It united us in a way that no other event in the history of our nation has been able to do. We will reap the benefits, for years to come, of having staged a world class event. According to a survey conducted by the NDT and South African Tourism (SAT), to measure the impact of the World Cup, R3.6 billion was spent during the event with 390 000 visitors having been here for sole purpose of watching soccer.

Another, for TTG source of pride this year is the number of awards that our group companies and their management teams won from various independent and credible entities; all attesting to and lauding exceptional service.

These range from Club Travel’s award of ‘Africa’s Leading Travel Agency’ at the World Travel Awards for the fourth year running; to the ACSA Feather Award for outstanding service to the ‘Yes We Can’ store at Durban’s King Shaka International Airport and the Coca-Cola Dome receiving the Best Concert Venue Award for an incredible 12th year in a row. Our award winning spree culminated in the Thebe Excellence awards where TTG led the pack in the winning stakes – read the story in the main body of this bulletin.

The awards were not the only highlights for us in 2010; this year was groundbreaking for TTG, it saw the cementing of a number of critical partnerships; partnerships that will stand the group in good stead as it catapults into a new level of growth. These include our deal with Compass SA, a global market leader in the food services industry as well as Travelex the world’s largest foreign exchange specialist purchase of a significant stake in FX Africa. Through our partnership in Kamnandi we introduced global brands of the calibre of Accesorize and La Senza into our retail stable.

We close off the year on a high note with information from Statistics SA that the total income for the accommodation industry for the third quarter of 2010 increased by 10,9% compared with the third quarter of 2009 and that the total income for the accommodation industry in September 2010 increased by 7,5% compared with September 2009. These certainly are encouraging figures and present us with an optimistic view for 2011.

As the holiday season approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued partnership. May your holiday season and the new year be filled with much joy, happiness and success

Seasons greetings
Happy holidays!.

Monwabisi Fandeso
CEO, Thebe Tourism Group

Editor's Note

What a great year this has been with so much growth for TTG. With the expansion that the company has experienced and the many accolades that our staff and companies have received, we’re starting 2011 stronger than ever before.

In this newsletter, the last for 2010, we feature some more great achievements. Be sure to read the motivations for the winners of the TIC Excellence Awards – there are some very inspiring stories.
We also feature Club Travel and TTGR’s ‘Yes We Can’ store taking home more awards.

The story about First Car Rental’s innovation to reduce their carbon footprint and educate their customers should encourage other companies to implement similar policies. I can’t wait to visit the new flagship INGLOT store, located at Canal Walk, featured in the Inglot Cosmetics enters South Africa story.

Finally, as we say farewell to the year 2010 I would like to wish you a blessed Christmas time with your family and friends. May 2011 exceed our expectations.

Until next year!

Hapiloe Sello
Group GM: Marketing, Thebe Tourism Group

Thebe Tourism shines at the Thebe Excellence Awards

The 2nd Annual Thebe Excellence Awards was held on the 25th of November at the Radisson Blu, Sandton. Guest speakers, Collins Chabane: Minister in The Presidency Responsible for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation as well as Administration in the Presidency and Jerry Vilakazi- Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) CEO, addressed the crowd amongst who was luminary Eleanor Sisulu, daughter in-law to Walter & Albertina Sisulu.

The awards celebrate and recognise individuals and companies within the Group that embody and are the personification of the Thebe spirit and values. and nowhere is this more evident than in the motivations of the winners of the Thebe Tourism Group, who walked away with 6 awards. You can read all the inspirational stories, such as Meshack Motaung, who started as a gardener at Thebe Venue Management and worked his way up to Senior Logistics Co-ordinator, by clicking on the individual’s name below.

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners from the Thebe Tourism Group!

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Winner Name	Winner Company	Winner Category
Monwabisi Fandeso	Thebe Tourism Group	Leadership: Best CEO
Carol Weaving	Thebe Exhibitions & Projects Group	Leadership: Best CEO
Tendai Musvaire	Thebe Tourism Group	Leadership: Best Senior / Middle Management
Phillip Radebe	Thebe Venue Management	Individual Excellence
Meshack Motaung	Thebe Venue Management	Leadership: Best Junior Staff

Finalist	Finalist Company	Finalist Category
Divan Venter	Club Travel Honeydew	Individual Excellence
Wally Gaynor	Club Travel SA	Leadership: Best CEO
Janine Smit	Thebe Exhibitions & Projects Group	Leadership: Best Senior / Middle Staff
Luana Bravetti-Visagie	Club Travel SA	Leadership: Best Senior / Middle Staff
Jean Louw	Travelex Retail	Leadership: Best Junior Staff
Jun Feng	Thebe Tourism Inbound	Rookie
Claire Kaplan	Thebe Tourism Group	Rookie

COMPANY AWARDS
Winner Company		Winner Category
Thebe Exhibitions and Projects Group		Best TTG Company
Thebe Exhibitions and Projects Group		Employee Satisfaction

Finalist Company		Finalist Category
Travelex Retail		Community Upliftment
Cape Point		Employee Satisfaction

Market leading techonology from Club Travel

Amadeus Southern Africa, a leading IT solutions provider for the travel industry, recently held its annual industry awards in Sandton.

Club Travel won the most prestigious of the 9 awards:

the ‘Best Partner in Technology and Innovation award’

which recognises a company’s drive to integrate technology into the bigger scope of the organisation’s vision and mission by implementing appropriate automated travel solutions.

Jannine Adams, Senior Manager Sales and Marketing for Amadeus, says that Club Travel was chosen as the winner in this category against industry heavy weights, Comair; Tourvest Travel Services and Thompsons Tours as it has been instrumental in introducing solutions, not only within the company, but also for the South African travel industry by researching and piloting solutions to improve the user and the customer’s experience. She says that the award was also in recognition of the drive of Wally Gaynor, Managing Director of Club Travel, to continuously evaluate and improve productivity and efficiencies by seeking out technology with the best fit for the organisation...full story

Outstanding service at Yes We Can

The Yes We Can store, located at the King Shaka International Airport in Durban, has won an Airport Company of South Africa (ACSA) Feather award for Best Retailer during an awards ceremony held at the Sibaya Casino and Entertainment centre on the 24th of November. ACSA designed this awards programme based on feedback received from airport customer surveys to honour and thank service providers that have demonstrated excellent service and provide an outstanding shopping experience. Store supervisor, Vinay Naidoo, says that she is very excited about the award and that the dedicated and committed staff always strive to provide every customer with great service.

The Yes We Can store is one of 11 stores in the Thebe Tourism Group Retail (TTGR) stable and represents a very unique concept in gift packaging...full story

INGLOT Cosmetics enters South Africa

World renowned high end cosmetic brand - Inglot Cosmetics has finally been brought to South Africa by Kamnandi Retail. Inglot, based in the South East of Poland, produces high quality cosmetics at reasonable prices. The range not only represents the latest trends in colour but also innovative products such as their new Breathable Nail Enamel and their unique and ground-breaking Freedom System which allows customers to create their own customised colour palette for lips and eyes.

The exciting cosmetic brand, established over 25 years ago, is now present in over 240 locations worldwide, including a flagship store in New York...full story