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Sekhukhune Development Agency, Groblersdal (2026)

14/05/2026

Go Limpopo

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Bushmen Rock Shelter in Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality, Sekhukhune, Limpopo is our home

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Xopan wants to come to Limpopo

14/05/2026

NAMIBIA NIGHTS IGNITES NEW LUXURY TOURISM VISION FOR SDA AT AFRICA’s TRAVEL INDABA 2026

DURBAN – The glamour, elegance, and strategic ambition of Southern African tourism took centre stage on the evening of 13 May 2026 when the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Sekhukhune Development Agency (SDA), Dr Rosa Mdluli, attended the prestigious Namibia Nights networking dinner at the Royal Majestic Hotel near the Durban International Convention Centre.
The exclusive gathering, hosted by the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), formed part of activities surrounding Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 and was designed to unveil Namibia’s bold new luxury tourism direction to African and international tourism stakeholders. The event brought together tourism executives, investors, destination marketers, hospitality leaders, and government representatives in an atmosphere of high-level networking and continental tourism collaboration.
Also attending the strategic engagement was Cllr Koketso Mamahlako of Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality, who participated in the interest of strengthening tourism and heritage relations with the Namibia Tourism Authority. Central to these engagements was the proposed Flag Boshielo Footprint Tour, an initiative aimed at honouring the 56th anniversary of the ambushing of Commissar Flag Boshielo in the Zambezi Region of Namibia, a historical connection that continues to resonate between Namibia and South Africa’s liberation heritage landscape.
At the centre of the evening’s announcement was the launch of the Namibia Luxury Travel Market, a strategic initiative aimed at repositioning Namibia as one of Africa’s leading high-end travel destinations. The new platform, scheduled for launch in November/December 2026, seeks to strengthen the luxury tourism sector, attract premium tourism investment, and create bespoke travel experiences for global luxury travelers.
Leading the delegation was Mr Sebulon Chicalu, Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Tourism Board, who highlighted Namibia’s determination to redefine African luxury through authenticity, sustainability, exclusivity, and immersive cultural experiences.
Participating at Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 with 22 tourism operators from 11–14 May at the Durban ICC, Namibia showcased an impressive portfolio of luxury lodges, eco-retreats, desert adventures, conservation tourism experiences, and high-end safari offerings aimed at the global premium tourism market.
For Dr Rosa Mdluli, the evening offered more than ceremonial networking — it became a strategic learning platform for destination positioning and tourism investment attraction within the Sekhukhune region.
“Namibia’s approach demonstrates how African destinations can confidently package authenticity, sustainability, and exclusivity into globally competitive tourism products,” said Dr Mdluli. “As Sekhukhune continues to reposition itself through heritage tourism, dam tourism, eco-tourism, and cultural experiences, there are valuable lessons we can draw from Namibia’s intentional focus on high-value tourism markets.”
Cllr Mamahlako added that the engagement also opened opportunities for historical and memorial tourism partnerships linked to the legacy of Commissar Flag Boshielo. “The strengthening of relations with Namibia creates possibilities for heritage exchange programmes and commemorative tourism routes that connect our liberation history with regional tourism development,” he said.
The Namibia Nights event highlighted how luxury tourism is increasingly being defined beyond opulence, focusing instead on meaningful experiences, untouched landscapes, indigenous storytelling, environmental stewardship, and personalised travel encounters. Namibia’s presentation emphasized its diverse deserts, wildlife conservancies, luxury safari circuits, and conservation-driven hospitality as part of its competitive advantage.
The SDA believes this evolving tourism model aligns strongly with emerging tourism opportunities in Sekhukhune District, particularly around De Hoop Dam, Flag Boshielo Dam, heritage routes, cultural villages, and nature-based experiences capable of attracting discerning domestic and international travelers seeking authentic African destinations.
As Africa’s Travel Indaba continues to facilitate cross-border tourism cooperation and innovation, the SDA’s engagement at Namibia Nights signals Sekhukhune’s growing ambition to adopt world-class destination development strategies that blend sustainability, culture, heritage diplomacy, investment, and luxury tourism into transformative economic opportunities for local communities.

14/05/2026

SDA REKINDLES ANCESTRAL ROUTE LINKING THE NORTHERN CAPE AND LIMPOPO

At Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 in Durban, the atmosphere inside the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre was filled with more than tourism marketing and destination branding; it carried the echoes of ancient footsteps, indigenous memory, and the enduring story of Southern Africa’s first people.

For the Sekhukhune Development Agency (SDA), one of the most profound engagements from the 11 - 14 May continental tourism showcase emerged through interactions with representatives of the Khomani San World Heritage Site from the Northern Cape. As South Africa’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Khomani Cultural Landscape captivated delegates with its preservation of San heritage, traditional knowledge systems, storytelling, tracking skills, and community-based tourism experiences rooted deep within the Kalahari Desert.

The encounter ignited growing conversations around reconnecting ancient cultural and archaeological corridors between the Northern Cape and Limpopo Province, a route linked through the migration, habitation, and survival stories of Southern Africa’s earliest hunter-gatherer societies.

The SDA delegation, led by Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Rosa Mdluli, viewed the engagement as more than cultural appreciation. It became an opportunity to reimagine tourism as a bridge connecting living indigenous heritage sites across provinces.

“The story of the San people is not isolated to one province. It forms part of the broader human story embedded across Southern Africa, including the archaeological landscapes of Limpopo,” said Dr Rosa Mdluli. “What we are witnessing at the Khomani San exhibit is the possibility of building heritage routes that connect ancestral memory, archaeology, culture, and tourism into one powerful African narrative.”

A key figure acknowledged during the engagements was Ms Vinkie Van der Westhuizen of the Khomani San community, a renowned cultural guide and owner of Vinkie’s Kalahari Experience. Known for promoting authentic eco-cultural tourism in the Southern Kalahari, Ms Van der Westhuizen has become one of the leading ambassadors of Khomani San heritage tourism through traditional tracking, storytelling, medicinal plant education, bushcraft, and immersive desert experiences.

For Limpopo tourism authorities attending the Indaba, the engagements revealed opportunities for stronger collaboration around indigenous tourism and archaeological heritage.

Ms Modjadji Makoela, Chief Marketing Officer of Limpopo Tourism Agency, emphasized that Limpopo possesses equally powerful ancestral narratives capable of contributing to an integrated heritage tourism corridor.

“Limpopo is home to some of the oldest archaeological and cultural landscapes on the African continent,” said Ms Makoela. “Sites such as the Bushman Rock Shelter near Ohrigstad demonstrate that the story of humanity in Southern Africa is interconnected. Tourism must now evolve beyond provincial boundaries and begin telling a shared African heritage story that international travelers increasingly seek.”

Bushman Rock Shelter (BRS), situated in the Drakensberg range near Ohrigstad in Limpopo, remains one of Southern Africa’s most significant archaeological sites. Containing more than seven metres of stratified deposits and evidence of human occupation spanning over 200,000 years, the shelter offers invaluable insight into Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age societies.

The site has attracted extensive international archaeological collaboration involving researchers from South Africa, France, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Germany, further strengthening Limpopo’s importance within global heritage research networks.

Ms Seema Harmse, Director for Tourism at the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), noted that cultural preservation and tourism development must increasingly work together.

“The future of tourism lies in authenticity, sustainability, and storytelling,” said Ms Harmse. “International visitors are no longer only searching for landscapes, they are searching for meaning, identity, and human connection. Limpopo and the Northern Cape have a unique opportunity to collaborate around indigenous heritage tourism that celebrates Africa’s original knowledge systems.”

As Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 continued to shape new tourism partnerships, the SDA emerged with a renewed vision, one that sees tourism not simply as travel, but as a journey of reconnecting ancient routes, restoring cultural memory, and positioning indigenous African heritage as a globally celebrated economic and educational asset.

14/05/2026

SDA REKINDLE THE ANCESTRAL ROUTE LINKING NORTHERN CAPE AND LIMPOPO
At Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 in Durban, the atmosphere inside the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre was filled with more than tourism marketing and destination branding, it carried the echoes of ancient footsteps, indigenous memory, and the enduring story of Southern Africa’s first people.
For the Sekhukhune Development Agency (SDA), one of the most profound engagements during the 11 - 14 May continental tourism showcase emerged through interactions with representatives of the Khomani San World Heritage Site from the Northern Cape. As South Africa’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Khomani Cultural Landscape captivated delegates with its preservation of San heritage, traditional knowledge systems, storytelling, tracking skills, and community-based tourism experiences rooted deep within the Kalahari Desert.
The encounter ignited growing conversations around reconnecting ancient cultural and archaeological corridors between the Northern Cape and Limpopo Province, a route linked through the migration, habitation, and survival stories of Southern Africa’s earliest hunter-gatherer societies.
The SDA delegation, led by Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Rosa Mdluli, viewed the engagement as more than cultural appreciation. It became an opportunity to reimagine tourism as a bridge connecting living indigenous heritage sites across provinces.
“The story of the San people is not isolated to one province. It forms part of the broader human story embedded across Southern Africa, including the archaeological landscapes of Limpopo,” said Dr Rosa Mdluli. “What we are witnessing at the Khomani San exhibit is the possibility of building heritage routes that connect ancestral memory, archaeology, culture, and tourism into one powerful African narrative.”
A key figure acknowledged during the engagements was Ms Vinkie Van der Westhuizen of the Khomani San community, a renowned cultural guide and owner of Vinkie’s Kalahari Experience. Known for promoting authentic eco-cultural tourism in the Southern Kalahari, Ms Van der Westhuizen has become one of the leading ambassadors of Khomani San heritage tourism through traditional tracking, storytelling, medicinal plant education, bushcraft, and immersive desert experiences.

For Limpopo tourism authorities attending the Indaba, the engagements revealed opportunities for stronger collaboration around indigenous tourism and archaeological heritage.

Ms Modjadji Makwela, Chief Marketing Officer of Limpopo Tourism Agency, emphasized that Limpopo possesses equally powerful ancestral narratives capable of contributing to an integrated heritage tourism corridor.

“Limpopo is home to some of the oldest archaeological and cultural landscapes on the African continent,” said Ms Makwela. “Sites such as Bushman Rock Shelter near Ohrigstad demonstrate that the story of humanity in Southern Africa is interconnected. Tourism must now evolve beyond provincial boundaries and begin telling a shared African heritage story that international travelers increasingly seek.”
Bushman Rock Shelter (BRS), situated in the Drakensberg range near Ohrigstad in Limpopo, remains one of Southern Africa’s most significant archaeological sites. Containing more than seven metres of stratified deposits and evidence of human occupation spanning over 200,000 years, the shelter offers invaluable insight into Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age societies.
The site has attracted extensive international archaeological collaboration involving researchers from South Africa, France, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Germany, further strengthening Limpopo’s importance within global heritage research networks.
Ms Seema Harmse, Director for Tourism Development and Destination Marketing at the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET), noted that cultural preservation and tourism development must increasingly work together.
“The future of tourism lies in authenticity, sustainability, and storytelling,” said Ms Harmse. “International visitors are no longer only searching for landscapes, they are searching for meaning, identity, and human connection. Limpopo and the Northern Cape have a unique opportunity to collaborate around indigenous heritage tourism that celebrates Africa’s original knowledge systems.”

As Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 continued to shape new tourism partnerships, the SDA emerged with a renewed vision, one that sees tourism not simply as travel, but as a journey of reconnecting ancient routes, restoring cultural memory, and positioning indigenous African heritage as a globally celebrated economic and educational asset.

14/05/2026

Cllr Koketso Mamahlako during the engagements between CEOs of Sekhukhune Development Agency and Umhlosinga Development Agency at Africa's Travel Indaba

14/05/2026

SDA SHARING NOTES ON DAM MANAGEMENT, REVENUE AND AIRLIFT STRATEGY WITH UMHLOSINGA DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
DURBAN - While many delegates at Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 focused on destination marketing and exhibition glamour, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Sekhukhune Development Agency (SDA), Dr Rosa Mdluli, spent the morning of 14 May 2026 engaged in a more calculated mission, identifying practical economic development models capable of transforming rural districts through tourism, infrastructure, and strategic state-owned entities.
Her destination of choice was the Umhlosinga Development Agency (UMDA), the municipal development agency of the deeply rural uMkhanyakude District Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal. For Dr Mdluli, the logic was precise: if Sekhukhune seeks to reposition itself through tourism-led development, it must study comparable districts that have successfully leveraged public infrastructure into economic catalysts.

The engagement brought together two influential women widely associated with the success and operationalisation of Mkhuze Airport Ms Musandiwa Cassandra Mulaudzi, Airport Manager of Mkhuze Airport, and Ms Thembisile Khumalo, Chief Executive Officer of UMDA. Their participation at Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 presented an opportunity for cross-learning between two rural regions seeking to unlock economic growth through tourism and mobility infrastructure.

Mkhuze Airport, situated near the Ghost Mountains and close to major conservation areas, has quietly become one of the most strategic regional infrastructure projects in KwaZulu-Natal. Following upgrades to its 1.8-kilometre runway and the opening of a modern terminal building in late 2022, the airport now serves as a gateway to game reserves, conservation tourism routes, and cross-border access into Eswatini and Mozambique.

But what particularly interested Dr Mdluli was not merely the airport itself, it was UMDA’s governance and commercialisation model. The Agency directly manages and operationalises the airport while simultaneously using it as a platform to stimulate tourism, logistics, SMME development, and regional investment attraction. UMDA is now driving plans to elevate Mkhuze from a charter and general aviation facility into a fully-fledged regional airport capable of handling scheduled passenger flights.
The SDA has increasingly positioned tourism as a future economic pillar linked to De Hoop Dam, Flag Boshielo Dam, heritage tourism, eco-tourism, and rural cultural experiences. However, Dr Mdluli’s engagements at Indaba suggest the agency is also thinking beyond traditional tourism promotion and towards integrated economic systems, where infrastructure, air access, tourism packaging, logistics, and municipal development agencies work in concert.
“What stands out about UMDA is their deliberate use of infrastructure as an economic enabler,” said Dr Mdluli during engagements at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre. “They are not simply managing an airport. They are building an economic ecosystem around tourism, agriculture, transport, and regional mobility. These are the kinds of comparative models rural districts must begin studying seriously.”

UMDA’s participation at Indaba under the Route 22 – Elephant Coast tourism brand also reinforced how coordinated destination branding can strengthen global visibility for rural regions. The agency showcased safari experiences, conservation tourism, and local tourism enterprises while aggressively pursuing partnerships with international buyers and travel operators.

For observers, Dr Mdluli’s engagements reveal a broader strategic direction emerging within the SDA, one focused not only on tourism attraction, but on building institutional capacity for long-term regional economic transformation.
In many ways, Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 has become more than a tourism marketplace for Sekhukhune. It has evolved into a comparative laboratory of ideas, where lessons on dams, airports, luxury tourism, and destination governance are being gathered with the intention of reshaping the future economic geography of the district.

14/05/2026

Umhlosinga Development Agency

14/05/2026

Dr Rosa Mdluli A-CEO of Sekhukhune Development Agency with Ms Thembisile Khumalo, CEO of Umhlosinga Development Agency during the CEOs bilateral at Africa's Travel Indaba in Durban

14/05/2026

With lessons from Lesotho, De Hoop Dam will never be the same - Dr Rosa Mdluli

Sekhukhune Development Agency

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