Newly appointed Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) acting CEO Pamela Ntuli has taken the helm to restore governance and drive regional tourism growth.

Appointed just in time for Tourism Month in September, Ntuli has hit the ground running, bringing two decades of public sector experience, legal expertise and a childhood passion for nature to her new post.

“I am a daughter of the province, born and bred in the Manzini region of the Lowveld,” Ntuli said in an exclusive interview with Mpumalanga News. “I grew up in the bushes in my home rural area of Chochocho with my brothers, shepherding goats and cows. I have always had a physical experience with nature living out my fascination with snakes.”

Ntuli, who matriculated at Stintile Secondary School after attending Khanyisani Secondary, upgraded her marks at Cefups Academy in 1995 before pursuing her LLB at the University of the Western Cape.

It was during her tertiary studies that her passion for environmental protection took formal root. When environmental law was first introduced as a module, Ntuli became the sole student to enrol for it. Undeterred, she advocated for the qualification among her peers, successfully recruiting 34 classmates to join the major.

Upon graduating, she returned to the Lowveld to serve as a state prosecutor across Nelspruit, Kabokweni, Masoyi and Matsulu for 10 years. She subsequently spent a decade at the provincial Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, serving as deputy director for environmental quality management and regulatory compliance, and later as chief director of environmental affairs.

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Ntuli targets governance turnaround

Transitioning into the MTPA helm, Ntuli acknowledges that while the public-facing demands of the role are higher, the transition feels natural. However, top of her agenda is restoring internal order following recent unfavourable audit outcomes at the entity. The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) issued a qualified audit opinion on the entity’s 2025/26 financial year.

“Aligning with the government’s Medium-Term Development Plan (2024 to 2029) under the seventh administration and Government of National Unity, our plans include creating jobs, increasing economic growth, and reducing poverty. But we can only do this firstly by stabilising the agency.”

To achieve this, Ntuli is enforcing an inverted triangle leadership model where operational decisions and proposals originate from management up to the executive.

“We will address this by enforcing internal governance rooted in transparency, unity, and trust. We have reinstituted weekly executive council meetings and are reviving our management council sessions,” she said.

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Strategy bridges conservation and tourism

Her primary operational focus is seamlessly bridging biodiversity conservation with tourism monetisation. She aims to enhance tourism packages, bolster revenue and drive cross-border marketing through regional initiatives like the Triland Agreement between Mpumalanga, Eswatini and Mozambique. She said community inclusion remains central to her growth plan. Ntuli recently initiated active engagements with local Communal Property Associations across the province.

“As an entity, we fully commit to working with our stakeholders to address challenges that affect all of us. We will not be able to steer this ship without community involvement, and we are requesting all stakeholders to assist us in finding sustainable solutions.”

Addressing rural tourism development, the agency also hosted a Sustainable Tourism Development Workshop last month. Ntuli said this is an initiative aimed at equipping township and rural tourism entrepreneurs with responsible tourism practices, digital readiness and environmental management strategies to ensure local operators benefit directly from the provincial tourism economy.

With 20 years of state legal and environmental administration experience behind her, Ntuli believes her deep personal connection to the province’s land will be her strongest anchor.