President Ramaphosa's flip-flop on tourism regulations shows he continues to be a mere spectator

11 July 2020

In the early hours of Saturday, 11 July 2020 the Presidency’s social media announced that hotels, guest houses, lodges and the like could be utilized for leisure purposes. However, shortly after that it was deleted.

This embarrassing flip-flop by the President once again seems to prove that he continues to be only a spectator to his own Cabinet which has hijacked this Covid lockdown crisis.

The latest additional confusion by government has demonstrated that it literally has no clue as to what it is doing but it is also showing total disregard and disrespect for the tourism and hospitality sector.

This is yet another example of effects of the various rifts within the ANC. When President Ramaphosa addressed the country last month he announced that accommodation establishments would be able to open up for leisure travel.

The Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, when announcing the latest regulations for tourism two weeks ago directly contradicted what the President had said as she had announced that accommodation establishments would be able to accept only business travelers.

There is no scientific reason for these establishments and other related businesses to remain closed as this does nothing to flatten the curve. All that this has done is the destruction of the tourism sector and the loss of thousands of jobs.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to the Presidency as well as to the Minister of Tourism to explain the information confusion on social media as well as to request an explanation on what scientific basis accommodation establishments may not open for leisure travelers

Issued by Manny De Freitas, DA Shadow Minister of Tourism, 11 July 2020