Tourism security measures across key routes in Mpumalanga’s Lowveld are showing positive results with fewer reports of tourists solicited for bribes and no tourist-related criminal incidents reported on the Numbi Road over the past year.
The progress was highlighted during a Tourism Safety Campaign dialogue hosted by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) in Hazyview last week.
Linda Grimbeek, CEO of the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT), who facilitated the dialogue, told Tourism Update that bribery has been an issue in Mpumalanga but the KLCBT has recorded a decline to just four reports so far this year.
Reports include traffic officials allegedly “fining” tourists at roadsides although Grimbeek said these are now isolated incidents.
She also warned of scammers, wearing official-looking uniforms or vests, stopping vehicles and telling tourists they need to pay for a sticker, tag or parking. The scammers then direct victims to a specific shop or ATM to clone their credit cards and withdraw large amounts of money.
Grimbeek advised tourists to rather request a legitimate fine that can be paid at a police station or magistrate’s court.
She said tourists who experience intimidation should contact the MTPA’s Tourism Emergency Help Line (+27 66 300 0991) for immediate assistance and report the incident to the nearest police station or at an airport before leaving the country.
Tourists should also record the exact location and time of the incident as well as vehicle details and descriptions of the officers involved. Grimbeek cautioned against taking photographs, which could escalate the situation.
Security programme expands
Grimbeek provided an update on the Ehlanzeni Integrated Security Plan – a KLCBT-led tourism security initiative that combines private security patrols, surveillance cameras, intelligence gathering and coordinated responses to crime on key routes in the Lowveld where there are funding concerns.
She said the security programme, originally introduced on the Numbi Road, has expanded to the Hazyview-Kruger Gate Road and the TBCSA is committed to funding patrols on the route for a year.
Grimbeek said 10 large tourism establishments have come forward to fund the programme’s monthly costs. The Kruger Gate Hotel is contributing additional cameras for the route and upgrades around Hazyview.
“To operate the rest of the programme, we have secured permanent funding from a long list of donors in the tourism industry to cover the monthly costs of the cameras and staff such as the investigator, intelligence officer, control room operator and analyst,” said Grimbeek.
Security measures on the Numbi Road continue to produce positive results. Grimbeek said no tourist-related criminal incidents have been reported on the road in the past year. She described the intervention as “100% successful”.
However, Grimbeek added, the programme still requires additional resources, including more number plate recognition cameras, for which once-off funders will be recruited.
“We are currently compiling a master plan to see where they have to be placed and in which order of priority. We also need another R20 000 (US$1 226) per month to cover the cost of more staff members and fuel and we need our own dedicated vehicle.”
