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Cape Town tourism safety to get Wesgro budget boost

324 views · Published 22 March 2018 · 1:32 · Indexed 25 October 2026

Channel: Traveller24 · 2018 · Travel & Events

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Cape Town - Safety in and around popular tourist spots will see dedicated tasks teams boost, says Western Cape MEC Alan Winde.

The Western Cape government is to allocate a specific budget towards ensuring areas like the Table Mountain National Park for example are safe for tourists and locals to enjoy.  

UPDATE: #TMNPSafety: Why this mugging simulation during a SANParks briefing left us shaken and emotionally unprepared


Speaking at the annual 2018/19 forecast event in Cape Town on Tuesday,Winde says a safety and security pilot project during the holiday season had successfully managed to reduce ATM fraud targeting business tourists from 45 hits a month – with an estimated value of R45 000 per hit - to only one case of ATM fraud in December.

Safety & security must be addressed - call for more active initiatives. “ATM fraud & theft saw 45 incidents a month down to 1 in December due to private sector & WC partnership - more budget aimed to build up ambassadors within risk communities” - @alanwinde #WesgroYearAhead

— Traveller24_SA (@Traveller24_SA) March 20, 2018


Winde says the success is due to co-operation between banks, hotels, the City of Cape Town, SA Police Services and Metro Police. It also involved the deployment of tourist ambassadors - a programme aimed at helping youths from disadvantaged communities in skills development while impacting changing at a grass roots level. 

SA Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom delivered the keynote address at the event and added that at a national level the department of Tourism aims to expand its Tourism Monitors Programme, which was instituted in Soweto towards the end of 2017 following a fatal incident in the Vilakazi Precinct. 

It forms part of the Expanded Public Works Programme, and is aimed at enhancing the visitor experience as well as improve the safety of tourists by creating employment for 200 unemployed youth, aged 18 to 35 years who are trained, mentored and placed as monitors at tourism destination. 

Winde spoke to Traveller24, confirming the official announcement of the Wesgro budget allocation would be made during the debate on his department’s 2018/19 budget in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.

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