Minister Derek Hanekom acts on alleged racism at resort

13 Jan 2016

Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom says strong action must be taken to root out all remnants of racism in South Africa. This follows allegations that the owner of the Klipspringer Guesthouse and Caravan Park in Modimolle, Limpopo Province, ordered a 14 -year-old black teenager out of the resort’s swimming pool on New Year’s Eve (see report). It is alleged that the teenager was told to leave the pool as other guests did not want to swim in the pool while he was in it.

Minister Hanekom instructed the Department of Tourism’s legal team to refer the incident to the Human Rights Commission. The matter was formally referred to the HRC today in the public interest.

“One can only imagine the deep humiliation and hurt that any person would feel under the circumstances, let alone a child enjoying the festive spirit,” said Minister Hanekom. “The fight against racism is not negotiable”.

“The vast majority of South Africans and operators of our tourism establishments uphold the constitutional right of every person to have dignity and freedom, and for that dignity and freedom to be respected and protected at all times”.

“But some forms of racism are still being practised by a small minority of people. These actions do not belong in a democratic society which is driven by the values of equality and non - racism.

“This is not who we are as a nation, and it certainly does not reflect who we are as a tourism industry. We must all stamp out racism whenever and wherever it occurs. We will not tolerate racist behaviour from anyone,” said M inister Hanekom. “We are serious about transformation in our society and in tourism. This applies not only to the ownership patterns of establishments, but to completely eliminating all acts of discrimination and racism. Every tourism attraction is there for the enjoyment of all of us.”

Minister Hanekom said the majority of South Africans who respect each other’s rights should never allow the actions of the small minority to undermine the strides that the nation has made towards equality. “We must all continue to support and strengthen the various nation building initiatives that are underway in many sectors of our society.

This, along with exposing and rooting out every single incident of racism, will ultimately prevail over those who want to live in the past,” said Minister Hanekom.

People who feel they have been victims of racist behaviour at any tourism establishment or attraction should report their experience to the Department’s Tourism Complaints Officer, who has a mandate to ensure that their right s are protected. The Tourism Complaints Officer is Mmaditonki Setwaba, and can be contacted by telephone on 012 444 6312 or by sending an email to [email protected]

Statement issued by Praveen Naidoo, Department of Tourism, 13 January 2016