DA calls on Tourism and COGTA to urgently deliberate on tourism infrastructure collapse and sector recovery
23 March 2022
The DA calls on the Minister of Tourism, Lindiwe Sisulu, to convene an urgent meeting with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, to address infrastructure collapse which threatens to degrade significant tourism destinations across South Africa.
We have repeatedly called for a joint committee meeting between the Department of Tourism and COGTA to map a way forward to address the severe infrastructure collapse at local government level. The role of tourism in post-Covid-19 economic recovery cannot be understated as it must serve as a key driver in economic recovery.
Across South Africa, failing water, sewerage, electricity and road infrastructure are tarnishing our ability to offer quality tourism products. In KwaZulu-Natal, the Blue Flag status of beaches is under perpetual threat due to the regularity of sewage spills from ill-maintained and inadequate sewage pump stations. These sewage spills meander into tourism hubs such as the Umhlanga promenade and the Durban Golden Mile beaches polluting water with E.coli levels far more than those safe for human exposure.
The success of numerous economy-boosting sporting events which bring in annual much-needed tourism such as the Dusi Canoe marathon is marred by reports of poor water quality that cause debilitating illness.
The department of tourism has reiterated that one of its primary objectives is to promote tourism in "dorpies, towns, and villages". The irony though is that it is near impossible for many travelers to access "dorpies, towns and villages" because the roads in many rural areas are in such poor condition.
In Underberg in KwaZulu-Natal, roads have deteriorated to such an extent that it serves as an active deterrent to tourists when they consider holidaying in the area. Tourism service providers in this area, like hundreds across the country, not only have to contend with dug-up crater-ridden roads but have all but given up hope that their municipality can provide even the most basic services such as a regular supply of water and electricity.
If a "whole of government" approach which focuses on cross-cutting departmental collaboration is not adopted to re-invigorate the tourism sector, the potential of South Africa's tourism sector to attract international tourists will be squandered and sacrificed to markets that offer similar products buoyed by intact infrastructure.
Domestic tourism will likewise suffer a similar fate, as key tourist attractions continue to hemorrhage visitors under the weight of infrastructure collapse. The once buzzing Wilson's Wharf and Durban Harbour is a case in point of how infrastructure collapse has relegated the once-thriving tourism hotspot to the realm of a veritable ghost town.
The DA will continue to drive home the importance of the tourism sector to the revival of the South African economy and job creation. We will fight for the recovery of this sector with an emphasis on a whole of government approach. Minister Sisulu cannot be allowed to sit on her hands whilst our entire tourism economy unravels because of corruption and negligence.
Issued by Hannah Shameema Winkler, DA Member of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, 23 March 2022
