Millions of rands worth of community development tourism is at stake as another small business faces closure after delays in getting his operating licence from the National Public Transport Regulator (NPTR).
“I was under the impression that the government was interested in stimulating and growing the economy but even a written appeal to president Cyril Ramaphosa seems to have fallen on deaf ears,” a frustrated James Fernie, Founding Director of Cape Town-based Uthando Tours.
He told Tourism Update that as a small business operator that is investing in community development, Uthando Tours needed urgent assistance.
“The way Uthando is being treated by the Department of Transport in its application of the new Vehicle Operating Licence permit is unfair, prejudicial and risks the closure of a business that is providing a lifeline to many grass roots community projects,” said Fernie.
He explained that the company was a small, non-profit organisation running tours to communities in the Cape Town townships. “We only run one tour per day and have one vehicle for this purpose,” said Fernie, pointing out that in the 2017-2018 financial year his company allocated over R5 million (€309 000) to 57 community development projects.
Furthermore, since 2008, Uthando has allocated more than R25 million (€1,5 million) to community projects.
Fernie said Uthando had held two permits since 2011, running a very successful tour using a 10-seater Toyota Quantum but, due to increasing demand, he traded in the existing vehicle for a 14-seater Quantum in May this year.
“We immediately applied for the new Operating Licence permit which was finally officially receipted on July 11, where the Department of Transport (DoT) told us the application would take 60 days from the date of receipt.”
On October 14, Fernie wrote to Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, for his urgent intervention with DoT, highlighting that it would cost the company R25 000 (€ 1 550) per month to hire a vehicle with a permit, which it could not afford.
Duminy intervened on Fernie’s behalf. Since then, DoT’s Kolotsi Percy has stated that Uthando Tours’ application had been published in the Government Gazette on October 18. (Tourism Update has seen the notice.)
“The applications will be published in the Gazette for a period of 21 days, whereafter they will be prepared for the NPTR Committee for adjudication in November,” Percy said.
Fernie also wrote to Ramaphosa on 14 October asking for intervention and permission to run his tours in the interim without the permit. The alternative is closure of the business and no more community development support.
To date, Fernie has not heard from the Presidency. Tourism Update meanwhile has sent his letter to Presidential Spokesperson, Khusela Diko, for a response.
Tourism Update has undertaken to share the human side of this crisis by encouraging operators and guides to share how NPTR delays have affected them.
