FOLLOWING an urgent meeting held between the Free State Tourism Business Council (TBC) and the Free State Tourism Board (FSTB) on Friday, it was decided to establish a Tourism Safety Task Team with the assistance of a financial donation by the provincial TBC.
According to FSTB chief executive officer, Thabo Manyoni, the meeting was called after the parties had been informed about the murder of a Polish tourist and the subsequent gang rape of his wife at the Sterkfontein Dam near Harrismith in the Free State earlier in the week.
"While the establishment of a Task Team is still in the planning stages, we envisage that local volunteers from the community will be recruited, provided with a uniform and placed on a 24 hour watch at popular tourism areas throughout the province," said Manyoni.
He told Travel Now that the FSTB had come to realise that it was "essential" to involve the local communities in tourism development and to make them aware of the benefits of tourism growth - and the consequences of a "negative and tragic" event such as this.
He believes that if the community are aware of the benefits of tourism, they will be less tolerant of actions which could directly hurt the industry.
"We will involve the local tourism councils and the businesses in the respective regions and work closely with them in educating the community."
He says the respective tourism councils will have the task of appointing and training the safety volunteers.
"We will also involve the MEC for Safety and Security in the province, Lasca Mokitlane, who has pledged his support to this project."
Meanwhile, South African Tourism has expressed its condemnation of the incident involving the Polish honeymoon couple.
Acting chief executive officer of Satour, Moss Mashishi, extended his condolences to the victims' family and friends and said: "We are saddened at such incidents and deeply regret both the loss of life and the rape that occurred, particularly in the face of recent progress made towards reducing the crime rate in South Africa."
(Adele Mackenzie)
