South Africa’s Parliament on Monday voiced concern over recent criminal attacks on tourists, in particular the killing of a foreign tourist in Cape Town.
Parliament “vows to do all in its power to coordinate activities to ensure that such heinous crimes against tourists are not repeated,” Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tourism said in a statement emailed to Xinhua.
This came after an Ukrainian tourist was attacked, robbed and murdered by three people whilst hiking in the Table Mountain National Park, Cape Town, on Saturday.
One suspect has been arrested while two others are still at large, according to police.
The South African National Parks (SANParks) has deployed 55 park rangers to patrol the Table Mountain National Park range following the killing.
South Africa has seen a sharp increase in attacks on tourists recently.
On July 16, a gang of 15 pistol-wielding robbers robbed guests, staff and a jewellery store at Mount Nelson Hotel, a prestigious five-star hotel in Cape Town. No one was hurt. This was the second reported robbery since March, 2018 when gangs robbed the same jewellery shop.
Two weeks earlier, a gang executed daylight diamond heist in downtown Cape Town. In that robbery, four armed males wearing masks and workmen’s overalls robbed The Diamond Works store opposite the Cape Town International Convention Center.
“We have noted from our interaction with inbound tour operators and South African Tourism, which is our marketing entity, that perceptions about crime in South Africa are negatively impacting on tourism,” the parliamentary statement said.
This in turn negatively impacts the socio-economic benefits of the sector, particularly tourism’s contribution to gross domestic product, job creation and ultimately poverty alleviation, said the statement.
As a new approach to oversight, Parliament has adopted a triple RRR (Rebranding, Repositioning and Renewal) approach to deal with rising crime, according to the statement.
In implementing this approach, Parliament is planning to convene a joint oversight meeting with key stakeholders including the South African Police Service (SAPS), the provincial commissioners of police, national and provincial tourism authorities and major tourism attraction entities and the private sector represented by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa to discuss the way forward, the statement said.
Parliament calls for a coordinated approach for visible patrolling in tourist attractions between the SAPS and SANParks, said the statement.
