Tourism company trains 'safety ambassadors'

THE rise of tourist attacks in Mpumalanga has prompted a new township-based tourism company to train fulltime "safety ambassadors" before it opens for business. Speaking at their launch in KaNymazane near Nelspruit on Tuesday Afri-sec Tours and Travel cc managing director Sibusiso Malaza said they would train unemployed local youths to accompany tourists around the townships and set up a central control room to monitor their whereabouts. A total of 27 tourists have been attacked in the province since January especially in the picturesque Lowveld region. "We want our tourists to experience township life, but the most critical issue is their safety," Malaza said. He added that KaNyamazane residents would be taught about the importance of tourism so that they would actively identify culprits and report them to police. (African Eye News Service)