Tourism monitors need more support from the police, Parliament told

The Department of Tourism plans to meet the South African Police Service (SAPS) leadership in early 2025 to discuss how its tourism monitors deal with criminals and patrol crime hotspots that pose a risk to the safety of tourists.

Deputy Tourism Minister Maggie Sotyu said this during a parliamentary meeting on Tuesday.

Domestic tourism generated R121-billion in 2023, while international tourism contributed R95-billion to SA’s economy.

Read more: Patricia De Lille gives high five to tourism sector for high impact in job creation and economic growth

However, some tourists fall victim to crime. One recent example is 40-year-old British doctor Kar Hao Teoh, who was fatally shot during a taxi strike in Cape Town in August 2023 after taking a wrong turn which led him to a group of protesters.

During Tuesday’s briefing on the department’s safety strategy, Sotyu said the meeting with the SAPS was needed, because: “You can’t expect tourism monitors to deal with highly armed criminals.”

Read more: Cape Town to deploy record 5,000 law-enforcement personnel for festive season

The role of tourism monitors

MPs praised the department’s tourism monitors — mostly young people, who are trained to assist tourists.

This year, R174.5-million has been allocated to the scheme, funded through the Expanded Public Works Programme. It involves some 2,300 monitors deployed to ports of entry, national parks and other attractions across the country to assist with tourism and safety-related matters.

The monitors:

• Patrol the sites;


• Report crime incidents to the relevant law enforcement agencies;


• Assist in tourist victim support;


• Attend court and testify in criminal proceedings as and when required;


• Open case dockets; and


• Compile accident reports.

In addition to employing the monitors, the Department of Tourism is working with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on programmes such as implementing virtual courts to allow tourists who have been victims of crime to testify without having to return to SA for court proceedings.

Mmaditonki Setwaba, the department’s deputy director-general of tourism sector support services, said the department had “continuous engagements with SAPS over the tourism monitors”.

Read more: Residents, police and security firm win war against violent gang that terrorised the Wild Coast

“Everything we do, we have [SAPS] on board,” said the department’s director-general, Victor Tharage. “We have faith in the police.”

In late 2023, following a spate of crimes at key Cape Town tourist attractions, 80 personnel from the City of Cape Town’s tourism unit patrolled Signal Hill, Lion’s Head, Devil’s Peak, Table Mountain, Bo-Kaap, the Waterfront and the CBD.

The Department of Tourism also contributed 250 tourism monitors in a bid to help curb muggings and robberies at tourist sites. DM