South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, has reassured Ghanaian travellers that South Africa remains a safe and secure destination for visitors. Addressing concerns over tourist safety, she emphasised that both the public and private sectors are fully committed to ensuring the well-being of visitors through strategic investments and initiatives.
Speaking at a Breakfast Meeting with industry stakeholders at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra last Thursday, Minister de Lille highlighted the extensive measures taken to bolster safety in South Africa’s tourism sector. She cited the launch of Secura, an armed response and medical assistance app, as a significant innovation providing tourists with swift emergency support.
“If it’s a medical incident, you’ve got access to about 200 medical institutions. And the private sector then also established a 365-day-a-year, 24-hour control centre. So whenever there’s a press of a button, the control centre will respond. That’s the investment made by the private sector,” she stated.
The Minister further elaborated on the South African government’s role in enhancing tourist safety. She disclosed that 174 million Rands had been allocated towards training 2,300 young people in safety and tourism information, with additional support from the police.
“We’ve got a high unemployment of young people in our country. We trained them in safety and in tourism information. And the police also gave them some training. But we then identified all of those frequently visited areas, like hotspots, and we deployed them there. We provide them with uniforms, with cell phones, and so on. And it did have an impact on all the frequently visited areas,” she explained.
Acknowledging past security incidents, de Lille assured visitors that new policies have been put in place to facilitate justice for victims of crime.
“When a person is on a public street, that is where now the South African police is taking over. And when you are attacked, we then assist you with the police to lay a charge. Unlike in the past, where if the case finally comes to court, the visitor had to go back to South Africa—now, not anymore. You can appear before a South African court from anywhere in the world virtually,” she revealed.
She also underscored South Africa’s commitment to providing aftercare services for affected tourists. “In terms of the aftercare, we will contact your embassy. We will provide translation services. We will make sure that you are taken to a safe place,” she assured.
The Minister dismissed misconceptions about restricted movement at night, stating, “Nobody should say after 12 o’clock you can’t go out.” She added that additional safety measures are being introduced in high-traffic tourist areas, including Durban, where security personnel will be deployed to accompany hotel guests if necessary.
Concluding her remarks, Minister de Lille expressed regret over any past incidents affecting tourists, stating, “I really regret the attack on you. And we can only learn from this to improve our safety.”
Her remarks come as part of an Outreach Engagement Mission to Ghana aimed at strengthening bilateral tourism relations and fostering confidence among Ghanaian travellers considering South Africa as their destination of choice.
