I was amused to read the “sweet heart” article about Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu in a Sunday paper recently.
It appears the irony was lost by the Minister; she discussed everything except the job she is supposed to be doing. Not one word was uttered about tourism and the perilous state that it is in. Instead, I read about Sisulu’s furniture, art works, her soviet military credentials and her fashion-sense.
All this matches perfectly with what she is doing – everything except working within her tourism portfolio.
This portfolio is an easy win. We have a world-class tourism product that can compete shoulder to shoulder with any other destination anywhere in the world. Everyone wants to visit our beautiful country! The problem, however is the lack of infrastructure, or unmaintained infrastructure, that make it impossible or difficult for tourists to access our tourism sites. Sisulu has done little to ensure that government ensures that the required infrastructure is in place.
Over the last year I have visited tourism sites in all provinces. There is a plethora of sites that either are difficult to access, or when one does reach these tourism spots one finds them dilapidated, derelict or abandoned. Unless you have a 4×4 vehicle it is almost impossible to access many tourism sites, all of which have great potential.
As I said, tourism is an economic “easy win” which can greatly assist in our economic recovery with relatively little expenditure by government provided that it creates the environment for the sector to flourish unabated, as has been done in the Western Cape.
Hundreds of tour bus operators have gone out of business simply because operating licenses are not being issued. Sisulu has not even approached her transport counterpart in an attempt to fix this problem.
It is sad that opportunities are being lost when all that is required is for government to perform basic tasks to ensure that the private sector simply be allowed to execute its activities.
Sisulu should indeed follow Liz Truss, a person Sisulu praised for resigning, and resign herself for not doing the job she is supposed to be doing.
Manny de Freitas MP
Member of Parliament of the Republic of South Africa
Shadow Minister of Tourism
Chair: Johannesburg Region
Member of Parliament for Johannesburg South
Democratic Alliance
