Know your Minister

Derek Hanekom is the Minister of Tourism in South Africa. He has held the position since May 2014. 

About the Minister

Minister Derek Hanekom was born in Cape Town on 13 January 1953. He did his schooling in Cape Town and matriculated from Jan van Riebeeck Secondary School in 1970. 

Between 1994 to 1999 he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, piloting various reform bills through Parliament which aimed to redress the injustices and inequities caused by apartheid laws and the 1913 Land Act.

Prior to his current position, Minister Hanekom served as a Member of Parliament on various Parliamentary Committees until his appointment as the Deputy Minister of Science and Technology in April 2004. In October 2012 he was appointed to Minister of Science and Technology, a position he held until May 2014.

About the Department

The National Department of Tourism is mandated to create conditions for the sustainable growth and development of tourism in South Africa.

The Tourism Act makes provision for the promotion of tourism to and in the Republic and for regulation and rationalisation of the tourism sector, including measures aimed at the enhancement and maintenance of the standards of facilities and services utilised by tourists; and the coordination and rationalisation of the activities of those who are active in the tourism
sector.