The unfortunate opinion of Justice Malala in “De Lille’s Ludicrous Plan for Tourism Police” (Opinion, October 17-23) refers.
It boggles the mind that someone such as Malala has failed to read properly and, for the sake of sensationalism or sounding smart, has decided to misconstrue a policy proposal.
So let me put the facts forward and clarify the proposal for a tourism police unit.
The tourism white paper, which was approved by the cabinet on September 18 2024 and gazetted on October 4, makes a policy proposal stating that one of the proposed interventions to enhance tourism safety is “dedicated tourism safety support in partnership with law enforcement agencies at all levels, [to] investigate the establishment of a specialised police unit with capacity for focused preventative measures and the swift resolution of incidents involving tourists”.
This is clearly put forward as a policy proposal and states this should be investigated; it does not say the establishment of a tourist police unit must happen.
In no way does the white paper state that the safety of tourists needs to be regarded more than the safety of all residents, as Malala tries to imply.
I have been on record stating several times that the safety of everyone is important and it is a well-known fact that South Africa is grappling with crime.
It has never been stated by me, by the department of tourism or in the tourism white paper that crime affects only tourists. It affects all sectors, residents and visitors.
However, it is also a fact that crime is a deterrent to visitors and as the department of tourism, our role is to address concerns and barriers to growth.
I have also been clear in saying that safety and security is the mandate of the South African Police Service. In this regard, we have formed a National Tourism Safety Forum, which also includes the National Prosecuting Authority, where the problem of crime affecting tourism is addressed.
It is through this forum, together with the private sector, that we identified key areas where crime affects tourists. The department of tourism invested R174m to deploy about 2,300 tourism monitors to increase visibility around key tourist sites and to assist tourists.
The tourism white paper simply proposes a range of interventions to be investigated to address the fact that crime affects the tourism sector and the perception of South Africa as a prime tourist destination.
Tourism has enormous potential for growth. Various contributing factors have been identified by market insights, reports, surveys and stakeholders interacting with the tourism experience in South Africa.
The factors include negative perceptions around safety, regulatory barriers despite tourism being an important economic sector, poor crisis management and lack of national air access initiatives.
South Africa’s image has been negatively affected by crime involving tourists and by high crime levels broadly.
Crime affects us all but we cannot sit back and say we can’t do anything about it. Minister or not, I too have been a victim of crime.
The issue is simple: a problem has been identified and the tourism white paper makes proposals.
The white paper has been taken through tourism stakeholder consultation sessions across the nine provinces, including local government participation.
Consultations also took place with national departments.
The public consultation process included a public comment period of 60 days. The approximately 3,500 comments received were all considered in developing and strengthening the white paper.
Malala should read and check the tourism sector’s response to the white paper being finalised. It has been widely welcomed.
I also wish to inform Malala that when I travel outside South Africa, I do not use blue lights and protectors and reject his ludicrous assertion that we have no clue how tourism works.
I was the mayor of a major tourism destination for eight years and as the minister of tourism I work daily with sector partners on all levels, across the country and all over the world. An insult that has no substance makes for poor analysis.
I appeal to the media to not make sensationalist comments or analysis.
Patricia de Lille, Minister of tourism
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