THE South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been called on by President Thabo Mbeki to deal with the wave of xenophobic attacks on refugees sweeping across Gauteng’s townships, a decision widely supported by the country’s tourism industry.
Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) ceo, Michael Tatalias, says this is clearly the right decision. “What is needed is manpower on the ground a firm hand in re-establishing law and order.”
This announcement follows the death toll increasing to at least 40 foreign residents and a warning by the German embassy instructing visitors to stay out of the Johannesburg city centre and townships, even if they are in tour groups.
Helga Eickmann, owner of Cape Tours in Germany, says that if the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a warning, tour operators are required by German law to do the same for their clients.
“This is not the kind of image we want to project to our visitors and something will have to be done soon to reverse this situation,” says Tatalias.
New ceo of Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC), Lindiwe Mahlangu, echoes this sentiment and says, “This goes against all our efforts in positioning Johannesburg as a welcoming city. Processes need to be tightened to avoid a serious dent being made in our marketing efforts.”
