Deputy Minister Maggie Sotyu: TBCSA Safety Vehicles and uniforms handover

A very warm Durban welcome to you!

 

It is a pleasure to join you here today on the Durban beachfront during Africa's Travel Indaba 2026 for the handover of vehicles, equipment, and resources that will strengthen tourism safety in one of South Africa’s most important tourism destinations.

 

Today’s event may appear simple in form, but its significance is far greater. Because tourism safety is not a secondary issue in tourism development. It is central to the growth, sustainability, and competitiveness of our tourism sector.

 

A destination that feels safe is a destination that can grow. A protected destination can attract investment, create jobs, and welcome the world with confidence. That is why today’s handover is important.

 

As government, we recognise that tourism safety requires partnership, coordination, and practical implementation on the ground. We therefore welcome this collaboration between the private sector, law enforcement agencies, tourism stakeholders, and local government through the eThekwini Beach Safety Project. This morning the President emphasised the importance of our tourists’ safety in our country.

 

I would like to commend the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) for the strategic leadership demonstrated through the TOMSA Collaborative Fund and for ensuring that tourism levy contributions are invested into meaningful interventions that support the sector.

 

This initiative demonstrates what becomes possible when industry and government work together with a shared purpose. The assets being handed over today - including patrol vehicles, quad bikes, trailers, uniforms, and operational equipment - are not merely resources. They are tools of visibility, responsiveness, and confidence-building. They represent tourism safety in action.

 

Importantly, this initiative contributes to establishing a more coordinated Tourism and Coastal Safety Unit that will support visible policing and rapid-response capabilities in key tourism areas, including the beachfront and surrounding visitor zones.

 

This work also supports broader efforts aimed at strengthening and revitalising eThekwini as a tourism and investment hub. Durban remains one of South Africa’s iconic tourism destinations. Its beaches, cultural richness, hospitality, and lifestyle offerings continue to attract visitors from across South Africa, the African continent, and the world. As thousands of delegates and buyers gather here this week for Africa’s Travel Indaba, we are reminded that visitor experience and visitor confidence matter deeply. Tourism is built on experience. And experience begins with feeling welcomed, comfortable, and safe.

 

Tourism safety remains one of the core priorities of the Department of Tourism and of the National Tourism Safety Forum, which I have the privilege of chairing. We understand that tourism growth depends not only on marketing destinations but also on ensuring that visitors feel safe, welcome, and protected throughout their travel experience. Through the National Tourism Safety Forum, government continues to strengthen collaboration between law enforcement agencies, tourism authorities, municipalities, business, and communities to improve tourism safety across the country.

 

We also recognise that tourism safety is not only about protecting visitors. It is about protecting livelihoods. When tourism grows, businesses grow. Communities benefit. Jobs are sustained and created. Young people find opportunities. Small businesses participate in the economy. But when visitor confidence declines, it is communities and workers who feel the impact first.

 

I also want to recognise the work of all partners involved, including Durban Tourism, Invest Durban, Metro Police, the KwaZulu-Natal Film and Tourism Authority, SAPS, and tourism industry stakeholders who continue to work collectively to strengthen this destination.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

As Africa gathers here in Durban for Africa’s Travel Indaba, let us send a clear message to the continent and the world: South Africa is committed to building destinations that are not only beautiful and vibrant, but also safe, welcoming, and resilient.

 

Today’s handover is therefore more than the delivery of vehicles and equipment. It is the delivery of confidence. Confidence in partnership. Confidence in Durban. And confidence in tourism as a driver of inclusive growth and opportunity.

 

I thank you.

 

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