Media Release: Garden Route’s Skills Coordinator named HR Practitioner of the Year

For immediate release
15 October 2026

When 200 unemployed people from across the Garden Route enrolled to train as cooks, few would have guessed that some of them would end up on an international cruise ship. For Reginald Salmons, that is what skills development initiatives aim to achieve.

Salmons, Coordinator: Skills Development at the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), has added a feather to his cap when he was awarded the 2026 Human Resource Practitioner of the Year by the Institute of Municipal People Practitioners of Southern Africa (IMPSA) on 9 October 2026.

The award recognises more than two decades of work developing young people. Most importantly, the award acknowledges his contribution to the development of the Garden Route Skills Mecca, a pioneering district-wide model he helped establish with former GRDM Executive Manager for Corporate Services, Trix Holtzhausen, and former GRSM Project Manager, Dr Florus Prinsloo. Today, the initiative continues to flourish under the leadership of Mr Thembani Loliwe, Strategic Manager in the Office of the Municipal Manager.

Today, municipalities, SETAs, TVET colleges, government departments, employers, and training providers work together under a shared vision for skills development, replacing fragmented efforts with coordinated action. Through this collaborative model, the Garden Route Skills Mecca has successfully secured and coordinated more than R157 million in skills development funding and investment across the district.

A notable example of the Garden Route Skills Mecca’s impact is the Occupational Certificate: Cook Programme. The initiative provided training and assessment opportunities to 200 unemployed learners, many of whom completed the programme successfully. The programme has since opened doors to meaningful employment, with several graduates securing permanent jobs and others embarking on international careers with MSC Cruises.

This is one of several large projects that Salmons has coordinated with funding from the National Skills Fund. Together they have opened doors for unemployed youth and municipal employees through internships, apprenticeships, occupational qualifications, and workplace-based learning.

Behind the scenes, he has also helped shape the policies that keep municipalities running well. These include training and succession planning, Recognition of Prior Learning, bursaries, and councillor development.

“I’m deeply honoured and humbled,” said Salmons. “This recognition reflects my own journey, but it belongs just as much to the Garden Route District Municipality, my former and current leaders, our municipal partners, the SETAs, government departments, educational institutions, and employers who share the vision of transforming lives through skills.

“I dedicate this award to every learner, intern, apprentice, and employee whose commitment to growing themselves inspires us to keep building a skilled, capable and prosperous Graden Route.”

Salmons also chairs IMPSA’s Cape Branch, which represents the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and the Free State.

GRDM Strategic Manager, Thembani Loliwe, who currently champions the Garden Route Skills Mecca, congratulated Reginald Salmons on this significant achievement, noting that the award reflects years of dedicated service to empowering individuals and building stronger municipalities. He also extended sincere gratitude to the SETAs, the National Skills Fund and other strategic partners whose sustained commitment has helped drive skills development and employment creation across the Garden Route, despite increasingly constrained financial resources.

Feature image: Reginald Salmons, Skills Development at the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), has added a feather to his cap when he was awarded the 2026 Human Resource Practitioner of the Year by the Institute of Municipal People Practitioners of Southern Africa (IMPSA) on 9 October 2026.

ENDS.