How tourism SMMEs can make big bucks this December:
The December holiday rush is more than a busy season; it is a powerful opportunity for small tourism businesses to boost revenue and build long-term visibility. KwaZulu-Natal alone expects more than two million visitors this festive season, generating around R13 billion in economic activity. For South Africa’s small, medium and micro enterprises, this is the moment to turn hard work into lasting growth.
Tourism SMMEs are the heartbeat of the sector, the guesthouse owners, tour guides and local artisans who define authentic South African travel experiences. According to SA Tourism’s Chief Strategy Officer, Siya Mthethwa, the key to success this December lies in visibility, credibility and connection.
The first step is digital readiness. Today’s travellers start their journey online, often using new planning tools to explore destinations. If a business is not visible or accurate on the web, it risks being overlooked or misrepresented. Mthethwa advises maintaining an updated, mobile-friendly website or at least a verified Google Business Profile to ensure travellers find correct information.
Credibility also matters. A grading from the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa builds instant trust with potential visitors. Smaller businesses can start with a Basic Quality Verification, while more established ones can pursue special recognitions such as family-friendly or wedding venue status. Through the Department of Tourism’s Grading Support Programme, small enterprises can access discounts of up to 90 percent.
Networking remains essential. Platforms such as Meetings Africa and Africa’s Travel Indaba connect SMMEs directly to more than a thousand local and international buyers each year, helping them secure advance bookings and understand emerging trends.
Mthethwa adds that the best market research is free, available in online reviews. Tracking patterns in customer feedback helps small businesses improve service, fix recurring issues and repeat what guests love.
For tourism SMMEs, this festive season is not only about selling, it is about scaling. With the right digital presence, trusted standards and strong connections, December can set the stage for sustained success well into the new year.
Loyiso Masuku elected new ANC Johannesburg regional chairperson, ousting Dada Morero:
Loyiso Masuku has been elected as the new ANC Johannesburg regional chairperson, edging out the incumbent, mayor Dada Morero, in a tight contest.
Masuku garnered 184 votes against Morero’s 149 during voting at the 16th elective regional conference. The victory makes her the party’s first female regional chairperson.
Masilo Serekele was elected deputy regional chair, beating Eunice Mgcina with 188 votes to 143.
Sasabona Manganye was re-elected as the regional secretary with 205 votes versus 128 for challenger Lebohang Tshabalala, while Lerato Bob was elected the new deputy regional secretary with 187 votes against 157 for Johannesburg MMC for development Nomoya Mnisi .
Maxwell Nedzamba was also re-elected as the party’s regional treasurer with 233 votes. He defeated Muzi Ntshingila who received 98 votes.
All those who contested in Morero’s slate lost the conference, which had 334 voting delegates.
The conference was marred by allegations of bribery and vote-buying by those seeking a mandate to lead the organisation for the next three years, pointing to infighting in the region that could hurt the party in next year’s local government elections.
ANC admits to feeling heat from MK, EFF, ActionSA, PA and DA:
The ANC in the Johannesburg region has admitted to feeling the pressure from political parties such as the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Patriotic Alliance (PA), ActionSA and the Democratic Alliance (DA) in its former strongholds ahead of next year’s local government elections.
Presenting the organisational report during the party’s 16th regional conference on Thursday, outgoing secretary Sasabone Manganye warned that the decline of the ANC in the Greater Johannesburg region was not just a temporary setback but a deep, structural, and multidimensional crisis reflecting the cumulative effects of political, organisational and moral decay over several election cycles.
Manganye said the erosion of trust between the ANC and its supporters had been years in the making, and its impact was now visible in every corner of the city. A breakdown in service delivery, chronic electricity interruptions, prolonged water shortages, housing delays and irregular waste collection had devastated the public’s confidence in the party’s ability to govern, he said.
“Communities have grown impatient with unfulfilled promises, and the image of the ANC has shifted from being a movement of service to being perceived as part of the problem,” Manganye told delegates.
“Many residents, particularly in working-class areas such as Soweto, the Inner City, and the Deep South, now associate service collapse directly with ANC-led structures, creating an emotional disconnect that cannot be repaired by slogans alone.”
In numerous wards, candidate-selection processes had become battlegrounds for competing interests rather than instruments of democracy, he said, with imposed candidates alienating communities, while disillusioned members either abstained or defected to smaller parties.
This disunity on the ground has been one of the most damaging internal dynamics, creating a situation where the ANC contests elections against itself long before facing external opponents, he said.
“Equally damaging has been the crisis of moral credibility. Corruption scandals, misuse of public resources, and perceptions of personal enrichment have destroyed the moral capital that once distinguished the ANC as a people’s movement.”
“Ordinary citizens now question the integrity of leaders and deployees; they see government positions as sources of personal benefit rather than service. This moral drift has become one of the most profound causes of voter disillusionment, turning the struggle-era loyalty of many into silent protest at the ballot box,” he added.
Manganye said the decline has also been worsened by communication failures, with the ANC in Johannesburg struggling in an era of digital politics to control its own narrative.
While opponents dominated social media with sharp messaging and emotional appeal, the ANC often remained reactive or silent.
“Achievements in service delivery, economic empowerment, and social support go unnoticed because they are neither documented nor communicated effectively. The result is that public perception, not performance, has come to define the organisation’s image,” he said.
“Another significant factor is youth alienation and middle-class drift. A large segment of young voters, especially those entering the electoral roll after 2016, no longer identify with liberation-era politics.They are drawn instead to movements that speak directly to their socio-economic frustrations, such as the EFF and MK Party. These parties have mastered the art of emotional mobilisation, while the ANC’s engagement with youth has been intermittent and bureaucratic.”
Since 2021, the ANC in Johannesburg has faced one of its most difficult electoral periods since the advent of democracy. Manganye said the party’s once-dominant political base had gradually weakened across key wards, resulting in reduced representation, declining voter confidence and a growing perception that the movement was no longer rooted in the daily struggles of voters.
“Voter turnout has declined, particularly in traditional ANC strongholds such as Soweto and the Deep South, while opposition parties — most notably the DA, EFF, PA, and MKP — have consolidated their influence in key urban and suburban areas,” he said.
“The 2024 national and provincial elections demonstrated that the ANC’s decline is structural, not episodic. Without serious intervention, Johannesburg risks becoming the epicentre of further electoral erosion by 2026. The task before this conference, therefore, is not only to celebrate the work done since 2022 but to honestly confront the crisis we face.”
He said the decline in support from 44.5% in 2016 to 33.6% in the 2021 local government elections represented the lowest point in the ANC’s democratic history in Johannesburg, noting that it was during this election that the party had lost the city to a coalition of opposition parties led by the DA and supported by the EFF.
The 2021 outcome exposed the extent of organisational decay, broken community trust, poor service delivery and a visible disconnect between the ANC and urban voters. The rise of the EFF as a radical alternative, the entry of ActionSA targeting disillusioned middle-class voters, and the emergence of the MK Party in 2024 fragmented the ANC’s traditional support base even further, Manganye added.
“These new players capitalised on public frustration, effectively splitting the electorate along generational, class, and emotional lines. While the 2024 national and provincial elections showed minor stabilisation at 36.4%, this recovery remains fragile and uneven,” he said.
“The task ahead is to convert stabilisation into meaningful growth by 2026 through organisational renewal, ethical leadership, and disciplined mobilisation. In Soweto, the decline is sharper and more politically symbolic. Once the heartbeat of the liberation struggle, Soweto has become a site of protest and frustration.
“Voters have increasingly turned to the EFF, PA, and most recently MKP, driven by anger over electricity cuts, billing crises, and unemployment. The emotional connection between the ANC and Soweto residents — once our proudest base — is weakening, and rebuilding this relationship is now a matter of political survival.”
Manganye said that in the northern zones, which include places like Alexandra, Ivory Park, Cosmo City, Midrand, and Fourways, the party remains strong and still commands majority support.
He said that while the organisation continues to command majority support, the trend shows a gradual decline linked to service-delivery challenges, unemployment, and weak political education.
Opposition parties such as ActionSA and the EFF are making inroads, especially among young and economically mobile voters, he said.
He added that similarly, middle-class professionals in the northern zones have migrated to ActionSA and the DA, citing governance inefficiency and a lack of innovation as reasons for their defection.
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