Cape Town - The killing of a German tourist in Mpumalanga could bedevil the upcoming tourist season if governments issue advisories for their citizens travelling to South Africa.
Tourism bodies, which are looking forward to a bumper tourist season post the Covid-19 pandemic, are getting jitters, especially after the spate of kidnappings across the country.
Police in Mpumalanga launched an investigation into the attempted hijacking in which the tourist was killed. The incident took place on the R538 along Numbi Road near White River.
Police said in a statement that the suspects instructed the tourists to open the doors of their vehicle. When the German tourist, who was driving, reportedly locked all the doors, one of the suspects shot him through the window. He died instantly.
Christopher Schmidt, spokesperson for the German Embassy in South Africa, told IOL: “The Embassy’s consular team is taking care of consular assistance for the German nationals affected by the incident.”
A manhunt has been launched by the SAPS to find the suspects.
Following the shooting in Mpumalanga, Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) national chairperson Rosemary Anderson said: “We simply cannot allow this to happen again.”
Anderson said what was needed was a dramatic on-the-ground intervention involving all sectors of government, labour, society, NGOs and religious leaders to put an end to the human suffering and job losses that crime causes, particularly in the tourism and hospitality sector.
Township tourism could suffer the most, after a travel advisory on the website of international security company, Crisis24, warned visitors to avoid “lower-income areas of Cape Town” after a spate of kidnappings
Township tours to Khayelitsha, the biggest township in the city, are a great attraction for visitors to Cape Town who go on guided tours through it.
Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy said: “The impact of these negative warnings can naturally affect travellers who may be hesitant in visiting Cape Town, or any other global cities where the consideration of safety is high.”
SA Tourism acting chief executive Themba Khumalo said: “As a sector, we are aware that crime tops the list of factors that tourists have raised as a concern when choosing South Africa as a destination.”
Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) CEO Tshfhiwa Tshivhengwa said: “Violence against tourists is equivalent to economic crimes such as stealing copper cables and gold, and something must be done urgently.”
He said TBCSA’s teams would meet with their colleagues in the security cluster to discuss ways in which plans to ensure tourist safety were fast-tracked ahead of the very busy summer holiday season.
However, Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen has assured foreigners and tourists to Cape Town CBD that they would have extra protection ahead of the festive season.
Asked whether the Province was speaking to foreign missions about the safety of tourists in the light of the advisory by Crisis24, Allen said the Province would be activating Tourism Safety Officers to ensure the safety of all visitors in the CBD and on Table Mountain National Park trails.
He said Chrysalis graduates would be incorporated into this programme.
“This week I’m meeting with the provincial police commissioner to discuss kidnappings and various other matters. The manner in which SAPS is attending to kidnappings, extortions and various other crimes has to be reviewed.”
Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger said she would be convening a Tourism Readiness Summit with stakeholders in the tourism value chain to specifically discuss key aspects in relation to safety, skills and transport to ensure that the tourism and hospitality sector is ready and has the necessary support for what is promising to be an impressive summer season.
On the question of advisories, US Consulate spokesperson Nurahn Schroeder said: “As a matter of course we don’t comment on our diplomatic conversations with our South African partners.”
She said the US would not be issuing fresh travel advisories and that their latest travel advisory issued back in July 2022 places South Africa at Travel Advisory Level 2 with a warning to US nationals to “exercise increased caution due to crime and civil unrest.”
Schroeder said the Consulate encouraged all US citizens living in or travelling to South Africa to enrol in its Smart Traveller Enrolment Program (Step) to receive security messages.
She said all of the information provided by the US to its citizens visiting South Africa can be found on the US State Department’s travel website.