Know your Minister
Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk is a lawyer and political scientist by profession. He was born on 10 November 1959 and hails from Polokwane. His academic qualifications include a B Proc degree as well as a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree and Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Johannesburg (previously Rand Afrikaans University). He is married to Suzette and they have two children, Christiaan and Maryke.
Minister van Schalkwyk has served as a Member of National Parliament since 1990. He later, in 2002 to 2004, also held the helm of the Western Cape Province when he took up office as the Premier of that Province. In 2004 he assumed the role of South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and in 2009 he became the Minister of Tourism, an office which he currently holds.
His decorations, among other, include Chairperson of the Aviation, Travel and Tourism Industry Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum (WEF) for the 2010/11 period. In February 2010, he also chaired the inaugural meeting of the T.20 Tourism Ministers, and successfully hosted the UNWTO Summit on Sport, Tourism and Mega-events in Johannesburg.
Minister van Schalkwyk has subsequently become one of the thought leaders in this burgeoning industry, which saw South Africa successfully hosting the FIFA 2010 World Cup.
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