HAZ CELEBRATES ARETHA TAKAZA-KANOTI AS NEW NATIONAL CHAIRPERSON FOR WOMEN IN TOURISM

The Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) is celebrating one of its own this week, after Aretha Takaza-Kanoti, HAZ’s Masvingo Regional Representative, was appointed National Chairperson of the Chamber of Women in Tourism. In a tribute shared by the association, HAZ said it was proud to congratulate her on a “well-deserved” national appointment and wished her “a successful and impactful tenure.”

The appointment was formally announced during a high-level national workshop and stakeholder convening in Harare, where the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry brought together provincial representatives from across the country to establish unified apex governance structures for women in tourism. The new National Executive emerged from Women and Youth in Tourism National Chapter elections held in Harare, part of a broader Zimbabwe Tourism Authority roadmap aimed at formalising women’s and youth participation across the sector.

Takaza-Kanoti is well known in Zimbabwean hospitality circles as General Manager of the iconic Great Zimbabwe Hotel in Masvingo, a role in which she has spent over two decades in the industry, spanning luxury hotels, city hotels, conference venues and now a resort environment. She began her career in 2004 as a graduate trainee in Food and Beverage with Rainbow Tourism Group, working at properties including Bulawayo Rainbow Hotel and Kadoma Hotel, before moving into executive management as Deputy General Manager at Holiday Inn Harare. She holds a Master of Commerce in Tourism and Hospitality Management from Midlands State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Zimbabwe.

Her elevation to national office carries significance beyond her own career. It places Masvingo’s tourism leadership at the centre of national conversations around sector recovery, innovation, investment and sustainable growth, and is widely expected to strengthen collaboration between tourism operators, policymakers, investors and women-led enterprises. In her own remarks following the election, Takaza-Kanoti said the new platform should help women and young people in destinations such as Victoria Falls, Kariba and Hwange gain better access to skills, finance and markets.

The appointment comes as authorities push to close a longstanding gap in the sector. ZTA officials have noted that while women make up a substantial share of Zimbabwe’s tourism workforce, they remain under-represented in ownership and leadership positions, and the new Chamber structures are intended to help change that.

For HAZ, the recognition of its Masvingo representative on a national stage is also a point of institutional pride, reinforcing the association’s role in nurturing hospitality leaders who go on to shape policy and advocacy well beyond their home region.