It has been a month since the national Tourism Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, promised a relief fund for freelance tour guides. To-date, no payments have been made. The tourism industry and its workers continue to suffer whilst national fails to properly address the needs of the sector at this time.
MPP Baartman says: “At the start of June, Minister Kubayi-Ngubane announced a R1,500 per month relief fund. The fund is for freelance tour guides who are registered with their relevant provincial authorities, and would offer much-needed relief for three months.
The Western Cape Registrar has successfully completed all necessary information and updating of the registered tour guide database for the province. It has been submitted to the national Department of Tourism, but no pay-outs have taken place.”
Tourism is an incredibly important sector of the Western Cape’s economy. Over R3-billion has been lost by the industry since the start of lockdown, with at least 20% of tourism businesses set to close by the end of the year unless further relief is initiated from national government.
MPP Baartman adds: “There are over 12,000 registered freelance tour guides in the Western Cape alone. These individuals represent families, single parents, and communities. Their livelihoods have been all but decimated due to the economic impact of Covid-19. We cannot afford to see more suffer without the safety net that should be provided from national departments.
I have written to Minister Kubayi-Ngubane, requesting an update on the pay-outs to freelance tour guides and information as to why this has not taken place even though the Western Cape has completed updating its database in due time. It cannot be that our guides suffer due to delays of other provinces or the national department itself.”
The DA in the Western Cape is committed to supporting a safe reopening of the tourism sector, with a gradual opening of the tourism supply chain so that the industry can get back to work and support livelihoods.
