Zuma vows transformation in tourism, business
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma says the government will be addressing transformation issues concerning tourism and business activities at KwaZulu-Natal North Coast World Heritage Site, iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
Zuma was addressing thousands of people who attended the national Freedom Day celebration in Manguzi, northern KZN yesterday.
Also in attendance was Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has been perceived in recent weeks as taking indirect swipes at Zuma as he criticised the cabinet reshuffle and called for a judicial inquiry into state capture.
However, yesterday Zuma and Ramaphosa presented a united front and were seen sharing jokes and laughing.
Zuma said yesterday there was a need for transformation regarding the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority. He said government departments were “seriously” looking at the grievances of the local community that they were being excluded from participating in business activities.
Zuma told local traditional leader Mabhudu Tembe that when he was KwaZulu-Natal economic development MEC he had tried to deal with the issues. “When I left (the department) I thought that the matter would be easily addressed.
“I also heard from (former MEC for economic development) (Michael) Mabuyakhulu that he had worked to address it.”
Tembe said the government should fast-track transformation at Isimangaliso, as they were being prevented from benefiting from the local economy.
Land restitution
He said his people were also concerned about the slow pace of land restitution.
“Unfortunately most of the land we have is not in our ownership. If iSimangaliso was organised to benefit my people, we would not be facing the challenges we have now.”
Economic Development MEC Sihle Zikalala, who represented Premier Willies Mchunu at the event, said iSimangaliso should not remain an “enclave of a few”.
“We are grateful that the minister of environmental affairs has started working with us to address this problem, which has affected the people of this district for more than a decade.”
Zikalala said the park had not given enough opportunity to the local people to participate in tourism opportunities. “We had our first meeting (with the national department) two weeks ago, where we began formulating a strategy to deal with this.”
He said community members often ran into obstacles when trying to establish their own businesses, like B&Bs.
“There has been no transformation in terms of both ownership and participation.”
But the park’s chief executive, Andrew Zaloumis, said all privately-owned lodges in iSimangaliso had local community equity – a mandatory requirement set by iSimangaliso. “There are nine community-owned and operated companies running tourism activities like game drives, boat tours and turtle tours.”
The park, he said, also supported 215 black-owned small and medium enterprises, provides on average 11 000 temporary jobs a year and has supported 87 neighbouring students with university studies since 2010.
Zaloumis said with a population of about 640 000 people around it, iSimangaliso was situated in one of the poorest regions in the country.
He said that local communities were part-owners of the three privately-run facilities in the park.
“Equity participation ranges from 17.5% to 68%. A fourth lodge, 100% community-owned, is in EIA stage.”
He said at any one time, 110 small businesses actively engage with mentors.
“Some R7.8m has been disbursed to 106 businesses. Businesses range from tourism operators, internet cafés, spaza shops and poultry producers to hairdressers, salons, nurseries and caterers.”
Zuma also spoke on racism yesterday and said the government was fighting against it through the Department of Justice finalising a national action plan “against racism and related intolerances”.
“This plan would give further clarity and guidance to the government on the fight against racism.
“We have also recently published the prevention and combating of hate crimes and hate speech bill.”
Zuma said while South Africans had achieved political freedom, economic freedom remained “elusive,” which is the reason “we speak about radical economic transformation”.
He explained that radical economic transformation meant fundamental change in the structure of systems, institutions of ownership including control of the economy in favour of all South Africans especially the poor.