Dear Durban
This past week, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tourism embarked on an oversight inspection in the Howick Falls area, KwaZulu-Natal to meet and listen to the plight of local businesses and tourism operators about how the local government has failed to maintain the local tourism sector.
Two years ago, the Howick Falls area received on average of 10 buses of tourists per day, yet today it is only receiving 1 bus per day. Similarly, 10 businesses have closed down recently, resulting in many young people losing their only source of income and pushing them back into poverty.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) therefore welcomes the fact that Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tourism unanimously agreed to have the local municipality report back immediately on a monthly basis regarding the restoration of the area, including plans for maintenance, cleanliness, security and local business support. The chairperson of the provincial portfolio committee James Nxumalo also committed to bringing the KZN portfolio committee to the area, to further hold its government to account and to assist restore the area.
The DA looks forward to this monthly report and hearing from the municipality following years of mobilising for government to look after this area. With the backdrop of National Tourism Day in Howick, we owe it to the local community to benefit from tourism and not have a fancy talk shop event.
Howick Falls has the only waterfall in a CBD in South Africa, and the Nelson Mandela Capture site is but a few kilometres away. The stagnation of the tourism industry in the area is nothing short of a crisis which urgently needs to be addressed in order to restore a local jewel in KZN.
We cannot afford for this small impoverished town which is home to precious national assets to decline any further. The contributions of tourism to our economy must not be underestimated, neither can the continuous decline of the Howick Falls area. Tourism creates over 1.5 million jobs in South Africa and must be used to get more people into work and out of poverty.
The stagnation of the local tourism industry has resulted in many young people being pushed back into poverty due to job losses. The DA will continue to monitor the situation in Howick Falls to ensure that the local economy is once again flourishing and creating jobs and opportunities for the unemployed.
Regards
Hlanganani Gumbi MP
DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Tourism
