BELOVED, admired and
respected industry
stalwart, Shariefa-Allie
Nieftagodien’s passing
has left a void in the travel
community.
Shariefa died peacefully
in her sleep on August 12.
A mentor, speaker, coach,
strategist, author and
operations director at XL
Nexus Travel for the last
ten years, Shariefa will be
remembered most for her
desire to encourage people to
be their best selves.
Md of Fair Trade Tourism,
Nivashnee Naidoo, says:
“Her innate ability to provide
support to anyone she
encountered, regardless of
what their need was, certainly
set her apart as a true
humanitarian. Her dynamism
is what I will miss the most.”
Shariefa had a passion for
empowering women in the
workplace and encouraging
them to develop their own
businesses.
Shariefa was born in District
Six on March 20, 1964. Her
parents were forced to find
a new home in Kensington,
one of several new coloured
group areas. She attended
Kensington High School
where she developed a love
for teaching, dancing and
athletics. In 1983 she started
a BA degree at the University
of the Western Cape and also
completed a Higher Diploma
in Education at the University
of Cape Town in 1986.
She was an avid runner,
completing over ten Comrades
marathons and numerous
other races.
In 2015 she was a finalist
for the Margaret Hirsch
Woman in Business Achiever
of the Year and the Woman
of Substance – Woman of the
Year awards. Her excellence
and ardour for the travel trade
were highlighted when she
was named XL Travel Manager
of the Year in 2010, 2013
and 2014.
“Not only was she a
delightful energy and
character but perhaps the
way she approached every
facet of her life, makes the
void incomprehensible. Her
smiling face in the audience
of industry meetings, her
unwavering desire to make
a difference in the lives of
everyone she met and, equally
as important, her beautiful
and dignified demeanour,
will remain embedded in my
mind for a very long time,”
says Robyn Christie, gm of
Travelport Southern Africa.
Shariefa is survived by her
husband, two children and two
brothers.
Trade mourns industry darling
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