Tshwarelo Hunter Mogakane
Pretoria - Tourism authorities in Mpumalanga have welcomed the position taken by Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on the proposed closure of the Numbi access point to tourists flocking to the iconic Kruger National Park via Hazyview.
This follows a statement from Sisulu’s office clarifying media reports that quoted her telling parliamentarians that the closure of the gate was being considered.
On Tuesday, the select committee on trade and industry, economic development, small business development, tourism, employment and labour wanted Sisulu to explain how her ministry was dealing with crime in tourism.
German tourist Jörg Schnarr, 67, was fatally wounded during a botched hijacking along the R538 road to the Kruger National Park
According to her spokesperson Steve Motale, the minister needed to set the record straight because her response that the proposed closure of the gate would be considered had been mistaken for a decision.
“The DA’s Tim Brauteseth suggested that the Numbi gate be closed for the time being, a suggestion the minister said would be considered.
“At no stage did Minister Sisulu say that the Numbi gate would be closed,” said Motale.
Motale said the department further briefed the committee on Wednesday on its plans to address the safety of tourists ahead of the December holidays.
“It was revealed that a number of government departments, including the Police, Social Development, Justice as well as the National Prosecuting Authority, are on board to work with the department on tourists’ safety.
“Over and above this approach, provincial tourism sector forums had been established and they were efficient, especially in Mpumalanga. The department told the committee that although it was still early, it would monitor whether there had been cancellations following the incident where a German tourist was killed at the Kruger National Park,” Motale said.
Sisulu has condemned the attack on the four German tourists, three of whom survived the attempted hijacking. “One life lost is one life too many. Every tourist, whether local or an international visitor, must feel safe to enjoy their holidays in our country, and the government is working with our local communities and tourism stakeholders to protect our tourists and support the tourism sector,” she said.
Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency acting chief executive Mduduzi Vilakazi applauded the ministry for setting the record straight.
He said they were working around the clock to ensure that tourists were safe in the province, including at the Numbi hot spot.
“We are ready to roll out community tourism activities in the villages, which is our primary focus. This entails stalls by community members along the road so that they benefit from the movement of tourists in and out of Numbi gate.
“This will not only fight crime, but also help to reduce the very high unemployment rate in the area. We will have more community initiatives co-ordinated by the City of Mbombela,” he said.
Vilakazi said efforts to keep the route safe were escalated from April this year. “We implemented private patrols and a camera on the Numbi road in April to assist with safety. Since implementation, there had been no incidents – until the dreadful murder last Monday.
“It was a week of stunned shock by all in our trade and fellow South Africans. The local tourism chamber immediately offered a reward of R50 000 for information leading to the successful arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators. This was widely distributed in the communities, the sangoma businesses and the taxi associations – and it is certainly generating leads,“ said Vilakazi.
The chief executive admitted that the incident had left a dent in their efforts to secure the Numbi route.
“We have since implemented massive additional security measures on the route, as much as possible right now, but we will add a lot more in the next two weeks.
“The result will be total coverage by live surveillance in the form of cameras, backed up by immediate reaction units and deployment of the latest technology to aid surveillance and effective reaction.
“We have already ordered everything and we are currently raising the additional funds to pay for it. It is roughly estimated that the total solution will cost in the region of R1 million, in addition to what we have done up to now,” Vilakazi said.
Police Minister Bheki Cele previously said that three men had been held for questioning in connection with the murder. However, he and provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala later said that the men had been released.
“The men were released as they could not be linked to the murder case. We are also still looking for the VW Caddy that was allegedly used as the getaway car following the commission of the crime,” said Mohlala.
Pretoria News