MEDIA STATEMENT
BY THE
INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY
More Must be Done to Protect Our Tourists
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IFP MEDIA
STATEMENT BY: 18 March 2008 The Inkatha Freedom Party is calling on the SAPS to come clean about alleged syndicates and criminal gangs that operate at the OR Tambo Airport. We find it absolutely shameful and shocking that tourists arriving here are being followed and robbed of their belongings on their arrival, while a police task team report claims that no syndicates are operating in the airport area. Clearly there is a problem at the airport and the SAPS' denial will not solve the problem. The police should be out in full force protecting our international guests from these callous criminals and not try to hide the facts. According to the American Embassy, fourteen Americans have been robbed in the past twelve months after landing at the OR Tambo International Airport. This is shocking but what is even more appalling and absurd is the fact the police has now contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs to pressure the Americans to remove the claims from their website. South Africa is aiming for the magic 10 million mark in foreign tourist visits by 2010 as we attempt to create badly needed jobs. At the moment tourism is the fastest growing sector of our economy. We are now getting 10 times the international tourists that we received here in 1994. If we want to continue the growth in numbers of tourists arriving on our shores much more must be done to protect our international guests. The IFP would like to call on government to recognise the damage crime against our tourists is creating to our international image and what economic repercussions it will have if we don't act now. The IFP
raised this very issue in Parliament's Portfolio Committee on
Tourism today and we will be keeping a close eye on this issue.
We want answers on what is being done to secure the safety of
our tourists as a matter of urgency. For more
information: |