Tourists’ safety is now a priority
MBOMBELA - After a spate of attacks against tourists in the Graskop, Hazyview and Sabie areas, government, law enforcement and other stakeholders held a meeting this week. The safety of tourists in the Lowveld was declared a priority.
Over the past few weeks, there have been five attacks against tourists in the mentioned areas. A number of these were hijackings or attempted hijackings.
The modus operandi of the perpetrators involved in the attacks included observing the movements of tourists and stopping their vehicles in remote areas. The passengers were then robbed of all their valuables, such as cash and bank cards.
Mpumalanga safety, security and liaison spokesman, Moeti
Mmusi, who attended the meeting, said strengthening the relationship between the stakeholders in the sector, such as the station commanders and the local and regional tourism operators, would create a better understanding of how best to deal with these cases.
Oupa Pilane, president of the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism weighed in on the debate. “Tourism safety is our absolute highest priority.
“We are doing everything in our power to ensure that there is no repeat of these unfortunate incidents. We are grateful to our colleagues in tourism and in government for their proactive cooperation in the face of these challenges.”
Mpumalanga community safety, security and liaison MEC, Gabisile Shabalala strongly condemned the attacks. She said the incidents were to receive priority status in the hope that arrests would be made soon. “Attacking tourists portrays the province and the country in a bad light. It also scares away potential investors,” Shabalala said.
She urged communities to work with police to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.
“We must work hand in hand with communities so that we can bring to book the perpetrators who are torturing our tourists. They should also be harshly punished. Tourism plays an important role in growing the economy of the country and the creation of much-needed jobs in our communities.”
Mmusi said the stakeholders resolved to meet on a regular basis and to raise awareness of how everyone can best work together to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.
He added that the language barrier between locals and visitors was a stumbling block when providing care to tourists who have fallen prey to criminals, and called for this to be privatised to ease communication.
“We are not saying that tourists are more important than locals, just that they should be well-looked after while they are in South Africa,” he concluded.