Manny de Freitas

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to both the Tourism Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, and to the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA) requesting that the applicants and beneficiaries the Tourism Equity Fund (TEF) be made public. This follows a presentation from SEFA to the Portfolio Committee of Tourism regarding the TEF. The presentation confirmed that the Fund’s real objective is to grow connected ANC elites. The DA’s concerns are that the TEF: Is concerned … [Read more...] about Beneficiaries of the Tourism Equity Fund must be made public

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) does not believe that the Tourism Equity Fund will meet its intended targets of boosting South Africa’s tattered tourism industry through improving the participation of black entrepreneurs in the sector. While it is important that there are continued efforts to strengthen the participation of emerging entrepreneurs, it cannot happen at the expense of the tourism industry as a whole. Especially not at a time when the industry is on its knees. The … [Read more...] about The Tourism Equity Fund will do little to grow the sector and jobs

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance understands that government, through recommendations made by the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), is considering the possibility of closing some beaches over the festive season. Considering that experience shows that any such “interventions” by government has done nothing to curb the spread of Covid-19 but decimated the tourism industry, it is concerning that government is considering such proposals. Closing beaches during the festive … [Read more...] about Closing beaches will potentially increase the spread of Covid

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to the Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, to request clarity on the criteria used to draw up the red list comprising of countries South Africa considers as high risk for international travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We will also submit parliamentary questions in this regard. The Department of Home Affairs on Monday published a revised red list. The DA is of the view that the system to identify these high risk nations is not … [Read more...] about Tourism red list is destroying the tourism industry

Dear MyPE The cancellation with immediate effect of key Emirates flights to South Africa comes as a direct result of national government’s shambolic management of the reopening of South Africa’s borders for leisure travel in a time when our tourism industry is in dire straits. Regulations published by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), which require airline crew to follow the same health protocol as passengers upon arrival to South Africa, are … [Read more...] about Shambolic reopening of SA’s borders is killing desperately needed tourism

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) will be writing to the Minister of no Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, to request that she provides a date as to the opening of South Africa’s borders for international travel as well as the preparation thereof. This comes after the Minister’s comments at the launch of the National Tourism Month this week reconfirming that she has no clue or understanding about tourism and its functions in reality. Unbelievably, Kubayi-Ngubane said that local … [Read more...] about Minister of No Tourism must provide a date for reopening of international travel to prevent more job losses

Dear MyPE A whistle-blower has contacted the Democratic Alliance (DA) providing information that the ANC is allegedly planning to start a “sweetheart” union for the tourism sector sanctioned by Luthuli House. This tourism union will supposedly be compliant and deferential to the ANC and would serve as the official voice of the tourism industry thus muting the sector in an attempt to stop the tourism demonstrations that are now taking place almost daily. Such a union would be ideally timed … [Read more...] about Minister of No Tourism allegedly plotting to capture tourism industry via TUSA

Dear MyPE The Minister of No Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane’s announcement yesterday about changes to regulations within the tourism and hospitality sectors indicate that in reality, nothing had changed. The announcements made indicate that the Minister and her Department know nothing about the challenges currently faced by the tourism and hospitality sectors. Kubayi-Ngubane’s big announcement that the curfew will now start at 22:00, means that staff and anyone patronising restaurants … [Read more...] about The Minister of No Tourism confirms that things haven’t changed as joblessness increases

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) supports the right of restaurant owners and staff to protest irrational and damaging Covid-19 regulations that endanger their livelihoods, in a manner that complies with health and safety regulations. The Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA) is planning a peaceful protest for later today where owners will place their empty tables and chairs in front of their restaurants to demonstrate the financial impact of the extended Covid-19 lockdown … [Read more...] about On Restaurant Owners’ Right to Protest

Dear MyPE The Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, needs to decipher the hieroglyphics of the confusing “Alert Advanced Level 3” tourism regulations that she announced last week. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has spent the last week trying to make sense of these regulations without much success. At the media conference that the Minister hosted last week she stated that leisure accommodation will not be permitted. This contradicts the regulations which state that licensed and … [Read more...] about Calls for clarity on Tourism regulations

Dear MyPE The comments by the Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane made during a National Assembly plenary session held on 23 June 2020, confirms that she simply has no clue as to how the tourism industry functions. In a reply to oral questions posed to her, the Minister described how the Department of Tourism will be providing a platform for online promotion of products by small and medium tourism enterprises that sell products such as clothing, handcraft and art. Tourists are … [Read more...] about Minister Kubayi-Ngubane confirms (again) to Parliament that she doesn’t understand tourism

Dear MyPE The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) presented their assessment on the impact of Covid-19 on the South African tourism sector to date and in future. The data presented echoed the data obtained by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in preparation for its Tourism Recovery Plan, launched last week. The TBCSA confirmed that if the lockdown is not lifted or at least lightened, between 1.1 million to 1.2 million jobs will be lost. They presented an honest but damning … [Read more...] about Tourism Business Council confirms that government will obliterate tourism even beyond Covid-19

Dear MyPE The Democratic Alliance (DA) today unpacked our plan to save the tourism industry and ensure the livelihoods of some 1.2 million people are not destroyed in the economic fallout of the Covid-19 lockdown. This follows a revelation by the Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, that the sector will only reignite by December this year. By that time most of the tourism, travel and hospitality industries will be decimated. Unfortunately, the Department of Tourism’s answer to … [Read more...] about Tourism plan will save 1.2 Million livelihoods