EThekwini Municipality mayor Cyril Xaba (black T-shirt) interacted with visitors at the beach on Monday. I Thuli Dlamini
Durban — The Democratic Alliance (DA) has slammed the Tourism Equity Fund for its slow pace in supporting small, medium, and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) in the tourism sector.
In a statement issued by the party’s spokesperson on tourism, Haseena Ismail, the party urged the Fund to prioritise supporting SMMEs. Ismail said there was a lack of transparency, inefficiency and accountability in the entity.
“The Tourism Equity Fund must prioritise supporting SMMEs with the potential to create and sustain jobs. We emphasise the need for efficient TEF processes, transparency, and accountability, particularly regarding job creation.
“While the TEF's approval of R301 million for 20 businesses across South Africa is a significant investment, the real measure of success lies in the number of jobs created. The DA believes that the TEF must prioritise transparency and accountability in its processes to ensure that funds are utilised effectively and efficiently,” said Ismail.
The DA also called on the Minister of Tourism Patricia De Lille to ensure that the TEF's processes are transparent, efficient, and accountable. It added that the minister must provide regular progress reports on the TEF's funding and its impact on job creation.
Buoyed by the big influx of visitors for a long weekend that ended on Monday, eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba expressed confidence that the City was still in line with the target of reaching 1.3 million tourists by the end of the festive season.
Speaking to the media after a walkabout at the beachfront interacting with the visitors who were all over beaches cooling themselves, the mayor said he was happy to see people enjoying themselves in the City’s beaches. Xaba conducted a walkabout on the beachfront and Ushaka Marine to interact with visitors and assess the city’s readiness to receive more tourists who will be arriving in the next few days.
“This is a season of relaxation and enjoyment, and I am happy that our visitors are enjoying themselves in our warm beaches and swimming pools. We are saying that people must come to Durban in large numbers to explore the wide range of tourism products on offer.
“We are confident that we will attract over 1.3 million visitors during this festive season,” said Xaba.
The mayor has also assured local and international visitors that Durban is indeed ready to deliver a safe and memorable festive season. He was also satisfied with the level of cleanliness and the high visibility of the police.
Last week the City paraded 500 new police recruits to bolster its 2000-strong police force. Xaba was also pleased to see large crowds peacefully enjoying themselves along the Golden Mile. In addition, the City also procured 170 new police vehicles and also moved CCTV cameras from Disaster Management and placed them under the police.
“We have no doubt that visitors will take home good memories about Durban as most tourists I interacted with were showering our law enforcement officers with praises for ensuring their safety. They have also commended our hospitality venues and the people of eThekwini warmly receive them in the city,” concluded the mayor.
Launching the festive season plan last month, the mayor said the City was expecting 1.3 million visitors which will contribute to a direct spend of R2.5 billion and a GDP contribution of R6.3 bn. Occupancy rates for hospitality establishments were forecast to be 75% and 11 000 jobs will be created.
In response to the challenge of homelessness, the mayor announced that all homeless people would be housed in shelters manned by the city officials to ensure the cleanliness and safety of the visitors.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has also been brought on board to deal with crime perpetrated against tourists. This is an ongoing and integrated programme aligned with the smart city law enforcement programme.
The City has partnered with several event organisers to host 15 signature events from December 1 to January 4.
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