New PQAS to oversee quality assurance in Eastern and Northern Cape

The TGCSA would like to extend a hearty welcome to Tshepo Matlou, who has been appointed our new Provincial Quality Assurance Specialist (PQAS) for the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape provinces, based in East London.

Although just 35, Tshepo joins the TGCSA team armed with a wealth of industry experience, having previously been a TGCSA accredited assessor and a hotelier. He has been appointed to the position of PQAS on the basis of his sound knowledge of hotel operations and standards.

The PQAS is an extra level of quality assurance in the grading process that was added by the TGCSA in 2010. The PQAS responsible for each province pre-screens assessment submissions by accredited grading assessors, who are independent service providers, before they are reviewed at the monthly approvals meeting.

This pre-screening process requires the PQAS to be closely acquainted with grading criteria and requirements, and as such the position carries a high level of responsibility.

“This is a critical role within the TGCSA in that it provides an extra check on the establishment's compliance with the standards and criteria,” explains Darryl Erasmus, TGCSA Chief Quality Assurance Officer. “It provides the TGCSA with an assurance that the accredited grading assessor has applied the grading criteria and minimum requirements correctly and consistently.”

Tshepo is currently completing his master’s degree in leadership and management through Logos University in the United States, cementing his 13 years of management experience in the public and private sectors. This includes having worked as deputy director of the Government Pensions Administration Agency.

A dynamic individual, he has also excelled as a personal coach and mentor, providing coaching and change management services to organisations seeking to align their strategies and visions to achieve optimal performance.

He has amassed vast experience and academic qualifications in coaching, marketing and management, and we are confident that, as our new PQAS, Tshepo will prove invaluable in the TGCSA’s quest to attain ever higher levels of excellence in the grading process.