SA tourism industry pushes back on safety amidst crime narrative from Trump admin

The South African tourism industry has come into defense of the country’s safety and hospitality levels amidst an ongoing narrative about crime in Africa’s most-developed economy.

This comes as a group of 59 Afrikaners recently migrated to the United States after taking up the offer of a refugee status as the US government falsely believes there is an ongoing “genocide” against them in South Africa.  

Recent headlines sparked by a widely publicised exchange between US President Donald Trump and President Cyril Ramaphosa have reignited international focus on crime in South Africa.

During the meeting, Trump repeatedly claimed that genocide against white farmers is taking place in South Africa, an allegation denied by Ramaphosa.

“We have many people that feel they’re being persecuted, and they’re coming to the United States,” said Trump. “People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety. Their land is being confiscated, and in many cases, they’re being killed.”

The latest crime statistics in South Africa show that nearly 10 000 people were murdered between October and December 2024. Of these, a dozen were killed in farm attacks and of the 12, one was a farmer, while five were farm dwellers and four were employees, who are likely to have been black.

The Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (Satsa) on Thursday said much of the coverage of these issues has leaned toward sensationalism, lacking the nuance needed to understand the real experience of travellers to the country.

Satsa CEO David Frost said while crime was a concern and continued to be addressed by government and civil society, incidents involving international visitors remained extremely rare.

“South Africa isn’t perfect. Like every country, we face challenges. But what we don’t have is a crisis that justifies global panic or distorted narratives,” Frost said.

“What we do have is millions of tourists arriving safely every year, and leaving with stories that have nothing to do with fear and everything to do with awe.

“We don’t pretend crime doesn’t exist. But context matters. The suggestion that tourists are at significant risk is dangerous misinformation that serves political agendas rather than public interest.”

South Africa has been in the crosshairs with the Trump administration since it passed the Land Expropriation Act, while issues of undermining the US foreign policy have been resurfaced by the country taking Israel to the International Court of Justice over the genocide in Palestine. 

Ramaphosa did acknowledge that there was "criminality in our country... people who do get killed through criminal activity are not only white people, the majority of them are black people".

He said that he hoped Trump would listen to the voices of South Africans on this issue of the perceived genocide against white Afrikaners. Ramaphosa pointed out the white members of his delegation, including retired golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and South Africa's richest man, Johann Rupert.

The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) also reiterated that millions of visitors experience a safe South African hospitality experience each year without incident.

Rosemary Anderson, national chairperson of Fedhasa, said while crime remained a challenge nationally, as it does across many countries, the hospitality industry has many safeguards in place.

“Our hospitality industry upholds some of the highest service and security standards globally. From boutique guesthouses to international hotel brands, our members implement comprehensive security protocols that allow guests to relax and enjoy South Africa's legendary hospitality with peace of mind,” she said.

“We’ve built professionalism into every layer, from concierge desks knowing how to escalate concerns swiftly right through housekeeping staff trained on guest wellbeing.”  

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