Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk should break his silence on the escalating crime against tourists in Cape Town by calling a summit to address “this crisis” and raise its priority in the government’s Budget, the official opposition Democratic Alliance said on Thursday.
The statement follows a flurry of reports in local Cape Town newspapers about attacks in the city and in the Table Mountain area, with one headline screaming: “A tourist needs to die before city acts”.
Shadow tourism minister Janet Semple said: “If the personal safety of tourists is not enough of a motive to ensure that adequate security is provided in Cape Town, then perhaps the need to protect an important asset in South Africa’s economy will be.”
One newspaper reported this week that two Polish tourists were viciously attacked in Buitensingel Street — in Cape Town’s central business district, not far from the important night-time entertainment area of Long Street — with one repeatedly stabbed in the stomach.
He had to clutch his abdomen to keep his intestines in as he and his friend — who had been stabbed in the hand — ran to their backpackers’ lodge after fleeing a gang of five youths.
This was just one of a number of attacks on tourists in the past two weeks.
Semple said: “Thousands of jobs and millions of rands of investment depend on tourism. The minister should at least ensure that investment in safety and security is proportionate to the amount of money generated by tourism in Cape Town.”
“The Mother City is rightly regarded as one of the jewels in the South African tourism crown and we cannot allow that reputation to be tarnished by acts of thuggery such as the recent attacks on tourists on Table Mountain and in the city. These acts can be controlled but it requires political leadership to do so.”
The DA called on Van Schalkwyk to demonstrate leadership by calling an urgent summit of all the role players involved with tourism in Cape Town and surrounds.
“Organisations and individuals such as the mayor of Cape Town [Nomaindia Mfeketo], the South African Police Service and Metro Police, the Central City Improvement District, South African National Parks and others must be consulted and an action plan put in place as soon as possible.
“The DA will also, for its own part, seek urgent interviews with key role players to discuss the matter further,” said Semple. — I-Net Bridge