Questions and Replies

Reply:

1. (a) and (b)

(i) No research has been undertaken by the Department of Tourism or SA Tourism.

(ii) Not applicable

2. (a) & (b) The concept is already existing in South Africa with different packages and prices for South African Citizens, SADC citizens and foreign visitors. The setting of prices falls within the ambit of the private sector. SA Tourism does engage the sector to consider special offers as part of the domestic tourism promotion activities they conduct i.e. Sho’t Left programme.

Reply:

1. (a) Eight (8) delegates from the Department of Tourism attended the Dubai Expo 2021.

(b) (i) Travel: R1 360 705.30 (Flights and ground transport)

(ii) Accommodation: R754 426.98

(ii) Catering: R0

2. No delegates outside her Department formed part of the Department’s delegation to the Dubai.

Reply:

a) (i) Internal Audit investigated irregular expenditure associated with a pre- Budget Vote cook-off event which took place in Tembisa on the 17 May 2021. The first part of the investigation was concluded around October 2021; however, the report was inconclusive as the payment was not yet affected. The report is now concluded has recommended that a further investigation involving external parties must be conducted as internal audit does not deal with investigation of external parties. Terms of reference for the next stage of the investigation have been developed.

In addition to this the Minister received a letter from the Public Service Commission (PSC) which is also investigating the matter after a complaint was received in this regard. The department is cooperating with the investigation process and the outcome of this process is awaited.

(ii) In relation to an irregular expenditure associated with the physical security services provider, the Department approached the National Treasury (Office of the Chief Procurement Officer) to review the procurement process followed and make recommendations to the Accounting Officer. The feedback from National Treasury is awaited.

(iii) In relation to the double payment by R50,000 to one of the beneficiaries of the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF), the terms of reference for the investigation have been developed. This is pursued jointly between the Accounting Officer of the Department and the Accounting authority of South African Tourism.

(iv) Terms of reference have also been developed for a follow-up investigation on the possible fraud and corruption related to the irregularities found at South African Tourism.

(v) The information verification process in relation to the Tourist Guides Relief Fund is still underway. Terms of reference for the investigation will follow the verification process outcome.

The recent Constitutional Court Judgement that set aside the Preferential Procurement Framework Act 2017 Regulations has presented a challenge in the procurement of goods and services which impacts on the sourcing of investigators. The Department is engaging with National Treasury for applicable exemption for the procurement process.

To ensure continuous oversight strengthening, management has put in place an audit steering committee which regularly reviews the implementation and effectiveness of the controls as contained in the Audit Action Plan. The Executive Authority is also provided with reports on the implementation of the Audit Action Plan.

b) Upon receipt of final investigation reports, the Accounting Officer shall implement the recommendations.

Reply:

a) South African Tourism has its Head Office in South Africa and offices in 10 countries globally, operating as regional hubs and servicing key source markets. The Netherlands Office is now operated virtually.

AFRICA	AMERICAS	EUROPE	ASIA	AUSTRALASIA
South Africa	Nigeria	US	Germany	UK	France	Netherlands (virtual office)	India	China	Japan	Australia

b) Markets served by each Office. Please note: In the 2021/22 fiscal, SA Tourism revised its market investment portfolio, moving from servicing 44 markets to 24 selected markets as illustrated below.

SAT Offices	Markets serviced from office
South Africa Office	South Africa Hub: Domestic Market Central, East, Land Hub: Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia South America Hub Brazil (GSA representation in the market) Europe: Russia
Nigeria Office	West Africa Hub: Nigeria
USA Office	Americas Hub: USA and Canada
Germany Office:	Central Europe Hub: Germany
UK	UK Hub: United Kingdom
France	South Europe Hub: France, Spain, Portugal and Italy
Netherlands	North Europe Hub: Netherlands
India	MEISEA Hub: India
China	Asia Pacific Hub: China
Japan	Asia Pacific Hub: Japan
Australia	Australasia Hub: Australia

c) The annual budgeted costs of running each country office in the 2021/22 fiscal are stated below. The Netherlands country office costs were budgeted based on a physical office, but SA Tourism has since terminated the lease agreement and moved into a virtual office in the Netherlands.

AFRICA	AMERICAS	EUROPE	ASIA	AUSTRALASIA
Nigeria	US	Germany	UK	France	Netherlands	India	China	Japan	Australia
R 10 966 330,22	R19 907 735,29	R15 036 995,68	R15 816 763,86	R18 299 468,49	R15 303 134,83 ( Virtual Office)	R12 404 995,45	R9 570 171,17	R 6 210 215,70	R 11 469 591,43

d) Return on Investment

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted arrival into the destination. International tourist arrivals into South Africa between January and December 2021 reached to 2.2 million, remaining well below the 2019 pre-pandemic levels of 10.2 million arrivals.

South African Tourism marketing initiatives in key source markets focused on delivering brand positioning campaigns to both consumers and distribution channels to improve South Africa’s brand strength by creating awareness of the destination and its value proposition and showcasing value for money products, experiences and attractions. The annual results of these campaigns will be finalised at the end of the fiscal.

(e) (i) The Netherlands Office, while still servicing the hub, is now a virtual office in the Netherlands. SA Tourism does not have a directive to close any other offices.

(e) (ii) SA Tourism does not have a directive to open more Offices.

(f) In order to extend its global footprint, SA Tourism works closely with DIRCO by empowering and supporting Missions to execute their tourism mandate through training and the provision of tools to promote the destination.

Reply:

a) The process of reviewing the Tourism Policy is in progress thus the Department cannot pre-empt or make pronouncements on the content.

b) MINMEC meetings are held quarterly depending on the availability of the MINMEC members.

c) (i) The Department of Tourism does not have policy and/or legislative responsibilities for Community Tourism Organisations (CTOs). The department acknowledges concurrent legislative competence and that local govenment is the sphere of government responsible for the development of local tourism including matters related to CTOs. The Department’s point of entry to community organisations is through Provincial and Local governments and the District Development Model.

(ii) The Department does not fund Community Tourism Organisations (CTOs). CTOs are independent associations based on voluntary participation by their membership. The organisations are responsible for their own operations including financial aspects thereof.

Hon Winkler, a key intervention of the Department in support for the protection of core tourism infrastructure and assets is the investment in the development of community owned tourism assets to support inclusive economic growth, product diversification and geographic spread.

Reply:

a) The online lecture for tourist guides was advertised through the website of the Department of Tourism and on social media platforms. Invitations were also sent to Provincial Registrars to disseminate to tourist guides on their respective registers.

b) About 300 tourist guides attended the live session held on 14 October 2021and about 250 tourist guides streamed the session via YouTube.

c) The Department spent R23 538.46 (excl. VAT) to purchase a webinar licence which was used for all webinars hosted by the Department during the financial year in question, including the webinar platform that was created to host the live lectures. All subject matter experts that delivered the lectures/presentations volunteered their services.

d) The only cost that was incurred for the lecture series was the licencing cost associated with the hosting of webinars.

Reply:

(a) The meeting with the CEO of Emirates, HH Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al, on 15 December 2021 focused on opportunities to be explored by both countries including investments, tourism and knowledge sharing around hosting of big events i.e. 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and World Expo Dubai 2020 as well as to intensify airlift collaborations. Emirates Airlines has a number of code-share agreements with South African airlines such as Airlink, Safair, etc., which cover the domestic as well as the regional (SADC) market. It was further proposed that Emirates Airlines should consider re-introducing Rooibos Tea on their airline, which is very popular in South Africa as an indigenous product of the country due to its health benefits.

(b) Both sides agreed that it is important to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Emirates Airlines and South African Tourism. Emirates indicated that with the MoU signed, they can drive demand to South Africa. The process to finalise the MoU is currently in progress and due to be signed soon.

Reply:

a) According to the Audit General of South Africa’s (AGSAs) report, a total of 869 tourist guides was reported to have had no identification numbers.

b) After conducting verifications, the Department found that all guides listed in this category had some form of identification captured against their names. This included passport/work visa numbers for non-South African citizens who, in terms of the Tourism Act, 2014 are also eligible to register as tourist guides. During the auditing process, the AGSA only verified South African identification numbers that were provided and not other forms of identification applicable to non-South African citizens. The Department has requested additional information from the respective Provincial Registrars regarding the type of identification number that was provided which will then be consolidated and sent to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for further authentication.

Reply:

(a) and (b) The Honourable Member is referred to the following Annual Performance Reports for the details of irregular expenditure per financial year

Year
2017/18	Reported in 2018/19 financial year- Page 189, note 22 on irregular expenditure
2018/19	Page 189, note 22 on irregular expenditure
2019/20	Page 205, note 22 on irregular expenditure
2020/21	Page 153, note 22 on irregular expenditure
2021/22	To date- AR still to be issued

Year	Number of cases	Value
2017/18	6	R271 252-53
2018/19	22	R26 520 527-00
2019/20	9	R8 409 977-00
2020/21	7	R1 223 493-00
2021/22	2	R1 381 170-34

*Annual performance reports are available on the Department of Tourism’s website: https://www.tourism.gov.za/ResourceCentre/Pages/Reports.aspx

(c ) steps taken to make those responsible to account / consequence management.

The 9 irregular expenditure cases disclosed in 2020/21 and 2021/22 are under investigation. For the 2018/19 financial year 16 cases were attributable to implementing agents and 6 for the Department. For the 2019/20 financial year 8 cases were attributable to implementing agents and 1 case for the Department.

The 24 cases for implementing agents amount to R33 745 885-00 and make up the majority of the irregular expenditure cases both in number and value. These implementing agents did not apply procurement policies, which are aligned with the requirements as stipulated in the Department's SCM policy, when contracting with third parties but instead used their own policies. In these cases, together with the remaining 7 cases involving procurement by the Department, it was found that the Department had received value for money and no recoveries were applicable.

No officials could be held liable for this Irregular Expenditure and an educational approach was taken through engagements with Implementing agents to ensure that they use the procurement policies of the Department to prevent future cases of non-compliance. This has yielded results as is evidenced by the significant decline in irregular expenditure in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years to date.

Reply:

The Norms and Standards for safe operations of the tourism sector in the context of COVID-19 or any other pandemic were Gazetted under Section 7(1) of the Tourism Act no. 3, of 2014 on 3 December 2021, Notice no 696 of 2021. It is since then, effective and is implemented by the Tourism Sector.

Reply:

Honourable Member, this is a Labour matter between the employees and their employer. The Department of Tourism has no role in the matter.

Reply:

 

	a) Make	b) Model	c) Year of manufacture	d) Price	e) Purchase date
(i) Minister: Two vehicles purchased; one based in Cape Town and the other in Pretoria. The details of the two vehicles are the same.	Volvo	XC60 D4 AWD G/T Inscription	2020	R700 000-00 per vehicle	20 March 2020
(ii) Deputy Minister: Two vehicles purchased; one based in Cape Town and the other in Pretoria. The details of the two vehicles are the same.	Volvo	XC40 D4-AWD G/T Momentum	2021	R700 000-00\ per vehicle	17 March 2021

Reply:

The outcomes of the Minister’s working visit included the following:

(i) Discussions took place with diplomats of countries that had put South Africa on a ‘red list’ and these engagements contributed to the lifting of the travel restrictions by a number of countries.

(ii) Following engagements with South Africa’s diplomatic community in North Africa and the Middle East to ensure consistency of messaging in this emerging tourism market, the diplomats committed to communicating the message that South Africa is ready to receive tourists.

(iii) Engagements took place with the Middle East investment community on their appetite and readiness to restart investment activities in South Africa’s tourism sector in light of COVID19. Minister will continue engaging those investors who have shown interest in investing in tourism-mega projects in South Africa during the next financial year.

(iv) Engagements were held with the Middle East carriers on both the need to apply a science-based approach to operational decision making in relation to the COVID19 pandemic as well as the need to explore mutually beneficial collaboration. Following these engagements a Memorandum of Understanding between South African Tourism and Emirates Airlines is in process of being finalised.

Reply:

(a), (b) No one can pre-empt what other countries may do in future in relation to their approach to the management of the pandemic. However, South Africa’s approach which has proven to work effectively is to engage diplomatically with affected countries including the United Kingdom.

Reply:

a) The Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) reported that 17 deceased tourist guides were paid. After verification was conducted, the Department found that payments were made for a total of seven (7) deceased guides.

b) The total amount that was paid out for these cases was R16 500.

c) Case have been opened with the South African Police Services (SAPS) for further investigations.

Reply:

1. (a) No, none of the support staff of former Minister Kubayi were retained.

(b) All members of the support staff for former Minister Kubayi are no longer in the employ of the Ministry of Tourism.

2. (a) + (b) The following employees constitute the staff compliment of Ministry:

Surname & Initials	Designation
Mr B Ntshona	Chief of Staff
Ms N Mgqabi	Private & Appointment Secretary
Mr S Motale	Media Liaison
Ms Z Adams	Parliamentary Officer
Ms TJ Selamolela	Admin Support & Coordination
Ms S Sihlwayi	Parliamentary and Cabinet Support
Mr M Zuzile	Community Outreach Officer
Mr W Langeveld	Assistant Appointment and Administration Secretary
Ms VG Mbete	Receptionist
Ms T Mbune	Household Aide
Ms L Mokola	Household Aide

The following are departmental employees who render services to Ministry in compliance to provisions of the Ministerial handbook:

Surname & Initials	Designation
Mr J Skhosana	Administrative Services/ System
Mr F Raboroko	Driver/Messenger

The following are Special Advisers in terms of the Dispensation of Special Advisers:

Surname & Initials	Designation
Adv M Simelane	Special Advisor
Mr MJ Mdekazi	Special Advisor

Reply:

(a)- (c) The Ministry of Tourism does not have a record of such correspondence or the receipt thereof. As for the Department of Tourism no such correspondence was received.

Reply:

 

	(aa) 30 days	(bb) 60 days	(cc) 90 days	(dd) 120 days
a) (i) Department	15	11	10	42
b) Total amount outstanding in each case	R131 658-51	R78 515-10	R54 254-53	R286 931-02
(a)(ii) Entity	None	None	None	None
Total amount outstanding in each case	None	None	None	None

c) by what date is it envisaged that the outstanding amounts will be settled?

(i) Department intends to conclude payment of these outstanding invoices by 15 March 2022

(ii) Not applicable

Reply:

 

The minister maintains dialogues with her international Tourism counterparts and holds regular engagements with sector stakeholders as well as through the media to ensure the world that South Africa is open for tourists and all measures are in place ensure tourist’s safety.

Whenever a new variant is discovered, South African Tourism, an entity of the Department, through its international SAT hubs keeps global tourism consumers regularly updated with information as shared by the National Department of Health. This is to prevent damaging misinformation in market countries.

Furthermore, through the Global Advocacy Programme, engagements are held with critical stakeholders such as the diplomatic community and other decision makers with the aim of ensuring that there is greater clarity about the actual situation and the associated scientific facts. This approach has yielded good results in relation to the earlier delta variant and this approach will be pursued going forward.

On 25 November 2021, South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) announced the detection of a new variant of the SARS-COV-2 following genomic sequencing. This variant was detected as the Gauteng province was experiencing a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases and the same variant was concurrently detected in Botswana and in Hong-Kong. On 26 November the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution named this variant of concern Omicron.

It is now known that by the 5th November 2021, a total of 635 Omicron cases had been detected and reported by 37 countries across all continents, of which 228 were detected in South Africa and 143 cases in the United Kingdom.

The Department is working in partnership with the private sector to ensure health and safety protocols are in place. SA Tourism is driving a global information strategy which is also informing the global consumer that South Africa is not the breeding ground of new variants but simply has the scientific ability to identify them.

Reply:

(a). SA Tourism has engaged with the following airlines:

• Air Austral
• Air Europa
• Air France KLM
• Air Mauritius
• Air Peace
• Air Seychelles
• Air Uganda
• British Airways
• CemAir
• Delta
• EgyptAir
• Egyptair
• Ethiopian Airlines
• Iberia
• ITA - Italia Trasporto Aereo
• Lufthansa Group
• Qatar
• Qatar Airways
• Rwandair
• South African Airways
• Singapore
• Tap Air Portugal
• United

(b). The main objective of engagements is to collaborate on route support, marketing initiatives for airlines that are currently flying into South Africa, and those that are strategically positioned and indirectly connecting the destination with key source markets.

The engagements provided opportunity for SA Tourism and airlines to look at activation of joint marketing initiatives including trade engagements webinars, destination and route information via social media and Public Relations support amongst other activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reply:

(a) The budget allocated to the Food Services Tourism Incubator which is being implemented in partnership with SEDA is R 6 million over two years.

(b) The programme can accommodate 100 participants.

(c) The purpose of the Tourism Food Services Incubator is to empower trained food services candidates to become owners and operators in the food services business. In view of the rising unemployment figures particularly in the tourism and hospitality industry, the Department saw it fit to maximise its investment in the food services training and skills development by supporting youth wanting to engage in new venture creation in areas where there are viable markets.

(d) The programme will be implemented over two financial years: 2021/22 and 2022/23.

 

Reply:

(a) Two cases of procurement fraud were identified by the department in the past five financial years.

(b) (i) and (ii) in the first case, the official was charged with financial misconduct but resigned from the Department before the disciplinary proceedings could be finalised. The matter was subsequently reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for their further handling and a legal application was also made for the suspension of the contract.

In the second case, the matter was reported to the SAPS for further handling as it only involved the service provider and the project had reached conclusion.

Reply:

1. (a) The Tourism Relief Fund (TRF) processes were put in place based on segregation of responsibilities as a control measure. These enabled the separation of application processing, verification, evaluation, validation and approval through different functionaries. Furthermore, payments were completely separated and processed through South African Tourism.

(b) The TRF was a once off capped grant assistance to Small Micro and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMMEs) in the tourism sector relief funding measure implemented during 2020/21 financial year.

2.(a) The Department instituted a recovery process for part of the double payment to one beneficiary business through the State Attorney’s office. Furthermore, the Department is liaising with the Accounting Officers of those Directors/Owners identified as state employees to establish if they had permission to do business. The Department will be guided by the outcome of this process in terms of the way forward.

(b) The process with the Accounting Officers is scheduled to conclude by March 2022.

3. The independent investigation into the double payment (R50 000) is scheduled to conclude by end of April 2022.

Reply:

1. The Department will conduct an independent investigation into the double payment to one beneficiary. This is scheduled to conclude by end of April 2022.

2. Only (iv) person in the employ of the State in any capacity, is applicable as part of the findings related to Tourism Relief Fund (TRF). The Department is liaising with the Accounting Officers of the Directors/Owners of such beneficiary businesses to establish whether they had permission to conduct business. This is scheduled to conclude in March 2022 and the outcome will guide the department’s actions.

Reply:

a) As part of the actions on the audit findings and recommendations of the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA), the Department will undertake an independent investigation to establish if there was any possible collusion from officials in this regard. The Department aims to conclude this investigation by end of April 2022.

The redemption of funds that were destined for the tourist guides who were in the respective Provincial Registers but were unfortunately found to have been deceased will be reported to the South African Police Services (SAPS) for further handling.

Furthermore, provinces will be informed of the audit findings particularly in relation to their tourist guides registers.

b) (i) and (ii) The Department will undertake a verification process with all the provinces of the forms of identification used by the various tourist guides taking into account the fact that anyone with a work visa may register as a tourist guide provided all other legal requirements are met. Further verification will be conducted with the Department of Home Affairs. Where there may be a case of invalid identification, the Department will institute recovery processes. The verification process is scheduled to conclude by March 2022.

Reply:

The time frame for the finalisation of the tourism white paper review process is planned as follows:

The Department of Tourism seeks to have in place a Green Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa by the end of 2021/22 financial year. Thereafter, the White Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in South Africa will be ready in 2022/23.

Reply:

The Covid-19 Relief Fund for Tourism Guides who are under distress were granted R1500 per month for three months. The relief was available to those distressed individuals who are:

• Registered as tourism guides at the provincial departments or agencies as per the Tourism Act; and
• Who are not registered on Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) up to and including December 2019.

The Tourism Act, no. 3 of 2014 provides for Provincial Registrars to register tourist guides and keep record of such. Provincial Registrars provided the Department with lists totalling 9561 tourist guides registered in the respective provincial databases. The information was verified by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to ascertain the tourist guides’ employment status.

A total of 4 650 registered tourist guides were reflected as unemployed and therefore falling under freelancing category. Payments amounting R4 500 were processed in three single payments of R1 500 per tourist guide. However, the total number of the R1 500 payments that were redeemed was 11 252 while a total of 4 435 payments of R1 500 each were not redeemed.

Reply:

Implementation progress of the Green Tourism Incentive Programme (GTIP) is monitored on a quarterly basis through quarterly implementation reports submitted by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) as the Department’s implementation partner for the GTIP, as well as quarterly Project Steering Committee meetings led by the Department.

Recipients of the GTIP that have concluded grant agreements and commenced installation are monitored through site visits conducted by officials from both the Department and the IDC. In addition, auditors that form part of the GTIP panel of resource efficiency assessors appointed by the IDC are contracted to audit energy and water consumption in the first 12 months after installation to verify actual efficiency improvements and saving against projected targets.

Reply:

1. (a) The Department’s target for the 2021-2022 financial year is to finalise 13 district profile. The following 13 districts/ metros profiles are being developed but are not yet finalised:

• City of Johannesburg, Gauteng;
• Central Karoo, Western Cape;
• Chris Hani, Eastern Cape;
• Buffalo City, Eastern Cape;
• Joe Gqabi, Eastern Cape;
• Mangaung, Free State;
• Lejweleputswa, Free State;
• Amajuba, KZN;
• Zululand, KZN;
• Bojanala, North West;
• Ngaka Modiri Molema, North West;
• John Taolo Gaetsewe, North West; and
• Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, North West

(b) The profiles will be finalized at the end of this financial year as planned.

2. Yes, finalised profiles are available.

3. The profiles will be deposited into the departmental knowledge portal for access by various potential users, in addition they will be used to guide tourism planning and development within municipal spaces.

--

Reply:

a) (i) and (ii) the Scheme has not yet been advertised, but was initially piloted with Provinces and South African National Parks (SANParks).

b) The pilot with SANParks during 2019/20 financial year was rolled out in five National Parks as follows: -

1. Eastern Cape: Addo Elephant Park (11 December 2019)
2. Northern Cape: Augrabies National Park (17 January 2020)
3. Limpopo Province: Marakele National Park (6-7 February 2020)
4. Mpumalanga Province: Kruger National Park (27-28 February 2020)
5. Free State: Golden Gate Highland National Park (11-12 March 2020)

During 2020/21 the Scheme was rolled out in partnership with four remaining provinces as follows:

(i) Kwazulu-Natal (10-11 November 2020)

The group was taken to the Giants Castle Nature Reserve in the Drakensberg Ukhahlamba Park.

(ii) Gauteng (5-6 March 2021)

A group from Gauteng, comprising of senior citizens, fitness fanatics (hikers) and young people were part of the program. The group also included small product owners and emerging tour operators. The group was taken to Cradle moon at the Cradle of Human Kind with senior citizens taken on a boat cruise and the rest of the group taking part in a 10km hike.

(iii) North West (11-12 March 2021)

A group of students at the TVET college in Rustenburg who are studying towards a tourism or hospitality qualifications were part of the program. They were taken to Pilanesberg and also to Mphebatho Cultural Centre in Mogwase, Moses Kotane Local Municipality.

(iv) Western Cape (15-16 March 2021)

A group comprised mainly young people from the Overberg District Municipality participated in an interactive and informative session on the importance of Domestic Tourism. Thereafter the group undertook site seeing to the town of Hermanus and visited the Shark Conservatory. They also visited the most southern tip of Africa at the Cape Agulhas National Park.

(c) The initial part of the scheme will be determined during the full implementation, however the pilot had 469 participants in 2019/20 financial year and 200 participants in 2020/21 financial year.

(d) The Domestic Tourism Scheme is designed to promote social tourism, encourage group travel such as stokvels, church groups, sports fans, etc.; people with modest income as well as general members of the public, particularly those who are less informed about travel opportunities. It’s also about access to travel amongst those within the lower Living Standard Measure (LSM) group.

(e) The Scheme has been piloted in partnership with SANParks and Provincial Tourism Departments. Total amounts spent to date are as follows: -

2019/20: R 1 625 215.37

2020/21: R 792 566.07

2021/22: This shall be reported in accordance with the normal reporting schedule as information

must be audited.

(f) There was greater interest in the scheme, however only 50 participants per province could be accommodated due to the available budget. The provinces that were part of the provincial partnership for rollout of the Scheme and Domestic Tourism Awareness programme in 2020/21 included: Gauteng, North West and the Western Cape.

Reply:

It is presumed that the Honourable member meant 17 August 2021 when the Department briefed the Portfolio Committee on Tourism on the 4th Quarter Performance Report for the financial year 2020/2021.

a) The initial approach was that the programme would be implemented through a partnership with a private sector financial institution, which unfortunately did not yield due to the length of time it took to finalise the Partnership Framework, including consultation with the National Treasury. This necessitated a change to a procurement approach which only started later in the financial year and as such could not be concluded in time.

b) Given that the process is still at procurement phase, no expenditure has been incurred towards implementation as yet.

Reply:

The Department has not engaged with the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) on this matter. The management of fresh water resources and associated infrastructure is the competency of the DWS, relevant Water Boards as well as relevant municipalities. Furthermore, beaches are the responsibility of relevant local government while marine and coastal management resides with the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment. It is therefore suggested that the Honourable member refers the question to the relevant authority.

Reply:

a) Yes

b) Health Certificate or Passport implementation modalities is a matter that is currently being discussed within government and amongst social partners and relevant authorities shall pronounce in due course.

Reply:

(a)– (b) No investigation was done by the Department of Tourism, as it is not within its mandate.

.

Reply:

(a) and (b)

The department is aware of the red list. However, the department does not agree that the red list is a reflection on or has a bearing on UK – South Africa relationship. The department, South African Tourism and the industry will embark on an advocacy project to ensure that information regarding South Africa’s and in particular the industry’s management of the pandemic and efforts o support ease of travel facilitation is provided to travel trade, consumers and other inbound tourism stakeholders. This will be targeted at all our priority markets to ensure confidence building.

Reply:

1. The riots/looting and protests were broadcasted across the globe. While no study was conducted on the impact, publicity of such negative events would have impact on the brand and the sector recovery efforts. It will require more effort to reposition destination South Africa and to restore consumer and trade confidence. Disruption of tourist activities and forward bookings cancellations were the most immediate impact while the brand impact will also be felt in the medium to long term.

2. (a) and (b) The main focus is the implementation of the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan. On the global front, SA Tourism will be embarking on the Global Advocacy Project in collaboration with Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) which is focused on addressing travel trade and consumer confidence building measures. In reigniting the domestic tourism and stimulating demand, Travel Week trade campaign was launched end of August 2021. The campaign is aimed at driving the trade to load their discounted deals on the Sho’t Left platform. This was followed by the consumer campaign. Furthermore, SA Tourism will be launching the Global Brand Campaign. The campaign is aimed at reigniting the regional and global demand and will be launched in September 2021.

 

Reply:

Yes, the Department of Tourism has, together with the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA), implemented the following capacity building programmes to empower the youth in the tourism sector:

1. Hospitality Youth Programme: Fast Food Services

This is a National Certificate in Fast Food Services accredited by the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA). It is a one-year learnership programme. 2 321 beneficiaries completed the programme.

2. Wine Service Training Programme: (Sommelier)

The early stages of the programme cover areas such as Bar Attendant and Drink Service Skills. In the later stages, the programme covers Sommelier training aspects such as international Wines, Wine Stewardship, Event Support Assistant, Customer Care, Culture and Nature guiding. The programme is accredited by the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Sector Education and Training Authority. (CATHSSETA) and South African Sommelier Association (SASA). 241 learners completed the programme in June 2020.

The following capacity building programmes to empower the youth in the tourism sector are in the implementation phase:

1. Hospitality Youth Programme (Food and Beverages)

It is a one-year learnership programme. This is a National Certificate in Fast Food Services accredited by the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA). The programme is targeting 1000 unemployed and retrenched youth in Northern Cape, Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces.

2. Wine Service Training (Sommelier)

The programme will be implemented as a learnership for a period of one year. The programme covers Sommelier training aspects such as international Wines, SASA Wine Steward, Customer Care, Bar Attendant and Drink Service Skills. The programme is accredited by the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Sector Education and Training Authority. (CATHSSETA) and South African Sommelier Association (SASA). The programme is targeting 252 learners in the KwaZulu Natal and Western Cape Provinces.

3. Food Safety Quality Assures

The programme covers the following areas: Hygiene and Food Safety Practices, Conduct Audits and Optimise Product and Process Quality within a Quality Management System in a Food Processing Environment as well as Occupational Health & Safety Unit standards (Accredited with CATHSSETA and the FoodBev SETA). The programme will be targeting 500 unemployed and retrenched youth in KwaZulu Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng provinces.

4. Chef/ Professional Cookery

The programme will be implemented for one year. It is a National Certificate in Professional Cookery accredited with the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Sector Education Training Authority (CATHSSETA). The programme is targeting 300 unemployed and retrenched youth in the Northern Cape, North West and Free State Provinces.

Reply:

Pending the finalization of the court case, the Department is abiding by the interim court order by not processing or paying out any applications for the Tourism Equity Fund.

Reply:

a) 30

b) The APP 2021/22 details 30 Community Based Tourism projects that will be supported as outlined in the Table below.

PROVINCE		(i) NAME OF PROJECT	(ii) LOCATION OF PROJECT
Eastern Cape	1	Maluti Hiking Trail	Matatiele, Alfred Nzo District Municipality
	2	Mthonsi Lodge	Located along R63 route between Fort Beaufort and Adelaide, Nkonkobe Local Municipality.
	3	Qatywa Lodge	Xhora, north of Mbhashe River
	4	Nyandeni Chalets	Ward 3,Nyandeni Local Municipality
	5	Western Tembuland	Queenstown, Emalahleni Local Municipality
Free State	6	QwaQwa Guest House	Qwa Qwa
	7	Vredefort Dome	Parys, Ngwathe Local Municipality
	8	Monotsha	Phuthaditjhaba, Maluti a Phofung Local Municipality
KZN	9	Muzi Pan	Mbazwana
	10	Anton Lembede Museum	eThekwini Municipality, Mbumbulu, Durban
	11	AmaHlubi Cultural Heritage	Estcourt
Limpopo	12	Phiphidi Waterfall	Giyani
	13	The Oaks Lodge	Maruleng Municipality
	14	Matsila Lodge	Mstila, Makhado Local Municipality
	15	VhaTsonga Village	LouisTrichardt
	16	Ngove	Giyani.
	17	Tisane	Magukubu,Jane Furse
	18	Nandoni Dam	Nandoni Dam, Vhembe District
	19	Tshathogwe Game Farm	Makhado Municipality
	20	Mtititi Game Farm	Mtititi Village, Collins Chabane Local Municipality
	21	Mapate Recreational Social Tourism Facility	Mapate Village, Thulamele Municipality
Mpumalanga	22	Mnisi Resort	Bushbuckridge
	23	Numbi Gate	Hazyview,
Northern Cape	24	Platfontein Lodge	Kimberley
	25	Kamiesburg	Roodebergskloof Farm, Kamiesberg Municipality
	26	McGregor Museum (has 12 satellite sites all located in the Northern Cape with the main museum located in Kimberly)	Kimberley
North West	27	Manyane Lodge	Mafikeng
	28	Lotlamoreng Dam	Mafikeng
	29	Sol Plaatjie Exhibition	This is an information and exhibition at the Mafikeng museum that requires upgrading.
	30	Lehurutshe Liberation Heritage Route	This is a broad route and planning is underway for an Interpretation Centre to showcase the narrative.

In addition, there is the Dinosaur Interpretation Centre in the Golden Gate National Park in the Free State and the Baviaanskloof Leopards Trail and Interpretation Centre in the Eastern Cape that have been included in previous APP documents, these are brand new facilities initiated through the work we are doing. There is also the maintenance programme in National Parks as listed in the 2020/21 APP and an expansion of the maintenance programme to include Provincial facilities, these maintenance programmes were initiated by the Department.

Reply:

(1)-(3) As was widely publicised in the media, the relevant authorities responsible for chemical waste management paid due attention to the matter of the chemical spillage in the interest of both human health and environmental safety.

(4) Ministerial engagements with local tourism communities are mainly conducted through or in collaboration with provincial and local government. However, virtual engagements were held with business affected by the riots.

(5) In response to the protest and looting that swept across parts of South Africa in July, SA Tourism released a TV advertisement which called for nation building and unity amid the unrest. The advert was aired on SABC, ENCA, and ETV channels. The footage was further shared on social media platforms.

In reigniting the domestic tourism and stimulating demand, Travel Week Trade campaign was launched. The campaign is aimed at driving the trade to load their discounted deals on the Sho’t Left platform (www.shotleft.co.za). This was followed by the launch of a consumer campaign. In the main, the focus of the department is to implement the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan to ensure sustainable recovery of the sector.

 

Reply:

a) Nature of the specified plans

Environmental implementation plan (EIP) is required by chapter 3 of National Environmental Management Act, 107 of 1998. (NEMA). Section 11(1) of NEMA provides that every national department listed in Schedule 1 of NEMA as exercising functions which may affect the environment must within one year of the promulgation of the Act and at least every five years thereafter develop an EIP. The Department of Tourism is listed in Schedule 1 of NEMA and is thus required to develop an EIP.

In 2018 the Department of Tourism gazetted the Environmental Implementation Plan (TEIP) 2015-2020 (First edition) in fulfilment of the requirements of Section 11 (1) of National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (NEMA). The gazetted EIP reached its end of life during the end of 2019-2020 financial year. The Department of Tourism second edition EIP (2020 – 2025) is currently in the process of being gazetted.

The purpose of the EIP is to co-ordinate and harmonize environmental policies, plans, programmed and decisions of the various national departments that exercise functions that may affect the environment or are entrusted with powers and duties aimed at the achievement, promotion, and protection of a sustainable environment. It further gives effect to the principle of co-operative government in Chapter 3 of the South African Constitution.

(b) Scope of specified plans

The Tourism Environmental Implementation Plan (TEIP) contains the following:

• A description of policies, plans and programmes that may significantly affect the environment.
• A description of the manner in which policies, plans and programmes referred to above will comply with the principles set out in section 2 of NEMA as well as any national norms and standards.
• Recommendations for the promotion of the objectives and plans for the implementation of the Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) procedures and regulations referred to in Chapter 5 of NEMA.
• The 2020 - 2025 TEIP outlines 12 strategic objectives and interventions to address the key environmental impacts associated with the tourism sector’s operations.

Reply:

a) The specified assistance falls under Programme 3: Destination Development

b) This is not a formal funding programme with set qualifying criteria. The Department regularly receives requests for assistance from various organisations and entities which includes community owned facilities. Support is provided where possible provided that there is alignment with the overall strategic objectives of the Department and resource availability.

c) For the projects listed in the 2020/21 APP, a needs analysis was conducted to determine what enhancement interventions are necessary for these museums to attract more visitors. These interventions include improving exhibitions, training guides, improving signage, revamping some structures and improving the overall visitor experience.

d) Currently there is no call for communities to apply for assistance. The Department prioritised five community museums for enhancement and will review this assistance once work on these projects is concluded.

Reply:

SA Tourism has not conducted a study on the changes brought about by the COVID pandemic and gig economy and its impact on job creation in the mainstream tourism products. The entity therefore does not have any data to support the question.

Reply:

1. (a) The Department of Tourism does not have programmes, initiatives, streams and/or projects regarding Community Tourism Organisations. The Department’s point of entry to community organisations is through Provincial and Local government with due recognition of the concurrency of the tourism legislative mandate

(b)– (c) Not applicable

2. (a – b) Not applicable

(i)-(ii) The Department of Tourism does not have policy and/or legislative responsibilities regarding Community Tourism Organisations. However, the department has a responsibility to reach out to tourism stakeholders at all levels, and to maintain sound intergovernmental relations by working with and through provinces and local government where appropriate. The department acknowledges concurrent legislative competence and that local govenment is responsible for the development of local tourism including matters related to community tourism organisations.

Reply:

The department’s focus is on implementation of Norms and Standards for safe operations by the sector. The department also supports the call for South Africans to get vaccinated so that we could reach population immunity which would be a more sustainable way to mitigate against economic disruption.

Reply:

(a) and (b)

Engagements with both trade and media in the markets indicate that crime is a factor in tourist decision making. To this end, the department working with South African Police Services put in place and implemented the Tourism Safety Strategy. However, it is encouraging that respondents to the exit survey conducted on departing inbound tourists through South African Tourism, indicate a higher level of satisfaction with the levels of safety in the country based on their experiences.

Reply:

The Honourable member is referred to the Department of Tourism’s website where a list of all beneficiaries of the Tourism Relief Fund is published. The Honourable member is also referred to responses to Parliamentary Question (NA) 219 of 15 June 2020 and PQ 197 (NCOP) of 5 June 2020. Below is link to the Department’s website to access the list of beneficiaries:

https://www.tourism.gov.za/AboutNDT/Documents/Tourism%20Relief%20Fund%20Beneficiaries.pdf#search=Tourism%20relief%20Fund

Reply:

(a) and (b)

Community Tourism Organisations (CTOs) are independent associations based on voluntary participation by their membership. The organisations are responsible for their own operations including financial aspects thereof. The Department of Tourism does not fund CTOs. The work of the department is guided by the Annual Performance Plan wherein all the details are provided.

Reply:

1. (a) (i) The department has an internship programme, for a 24-months period, which started in 2020.

(ii) A total of thirty-two (32) interns have been appointed into this programme.

(b) A needs analysis is done prior to the start of the internship programme. An advert clearly stipulates the fields and recruitment panels are set up to select and recommend suitable interns per field, from applications received. Mentors from each programme are identified and linked to an intern.

2. No, the departmental internship is done as a public service programme. Thus, it does not provide for organisations outside the department. Applications are done by prospective interns in their individual capacity.

(Please see below a table with the number of interns per programme)

Branch / Office	Programme	Number
Ministry and Deputy Ministry	-	2
Office of the Director-General	-	1
Corporate Management	Strategy and Operations	2
	Transport and Travel Services	1
	Financial Management	3
	Risk and Integrity Management	1
	Communications	1
	Legal Services	1
	Internal Audit	1
	Information Technology	1
	Human Resources Utilisation and Employee Health and Wellness	2
	Human Resources Administration and Employee Relations	1
Tourism Sector Support Services	Enterprise Development	2
	Transformation	1
	Tourism Visitor Services	1
	Responsible Tourism	1
	Tourism Incentives Programme	1
Destination Development	Destination Planning	1
	Working for Tourism	2
	Programme Coordination Unit	1
	Tourism Enhancement	1
Tourism Policy Research and International Relations	Research	1
	Knowledge Management	1
	Bilateral Relations	1
	Monitoring and Evaluation	1

Reply:

a) The Department will be undertaking work at the Tisani Cutural village situated in Ga-Tisani village, Makhuduthamaqa Local Municipality in the Sekhukhune District Municipality. The Department of Tourism has appointed the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) as the implementing agent to construction or complete the following: 10 chalets, 10 braai areas, conference facility, new entrance gate, swimming pool with ablution facility, cultural village with museum, furniture, security fence and landscaping.

b) Employment opportunities will be provided during the implementation of the project. The workers will mainly be from the villages of Tisani, Sekwati, Magukubu and Ga-Phaahla.

Non-accredited and accredited training will be also be provided during construction stage. After completion the project will be operational to create permanent jobs for local people.