DEFIANT RAMAPHOSA OPENS TRAVEL INDABA

Africa's Travel Indaba opened in Durban this week. The city is set to host the event until 2030

By CHRIS MAKHAYE

“Africa is not waiting. Africa is leading.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa chose those words to open Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban on Tuesday — his first public appearance since his address to the South Africans, where he dared his opponents - within the ANC and in the opposition benches - that he would not resign after a damning Constitutional Court’s ruling on the Phala Phala saga.

Instead, he has vowed to take the initial Section 89 Independent Panel, which was chaired by retired former Constitutional Court chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, on review - a move that has set him on a collision course with his critics who are calling for his head to roll.  The ruling ANC has called for a special NEC meeting this week to discuss the matter.

The report was a landmark parliamentary report released on November 30, 2022, just a few weeks before the December 2022 ANC elective conference, where Ramaphosa sought and got second term as the party leader.

But on Tuesday in Durban, things were different. Ramaphosa used the Indaba stage not only to celebrate tourism’s resilience but also to project his own political survival. He told delegates that tourism was “a living expression of who we are as a people,” linking the sector’s revival to the broader story of a continent rising with confidence.

“The increase we’ve seen in tourism are not only of statistical interest. They represent family supported small businesses revived and communities being uplifted.

“According to Statistics SA tourism accounts for nearly one million direct jobs in this country. That means one in 18 workers is directly employed in tourism. Africa Tourism Indaba has become one of the most powerful platforms for tourism growth in the continent,” he said.

Earlier, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille had set the tone, saying the Indaba was proof that Africa’s tourism industry was “back on its feet and ready to grow.” She stressed the importance of regional cooperation, pointing to the proposed SADC Tourism UNIVISA that would allow seamless cross-border travel.

South Africa’s tourism numbers underline the optimism. Last year, the country welcomed 10.5 million international visitors, with three-quarters arriving from the SADC region. Tourism now supports nearly one million direct jobs — one in every 18 workers.

Last year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba was attended by 10 000 delegates, including ministers, tourism authorities, exhibitors, buyers, and media. More than 1,300 exhibitors showcased destinations and experiences, from township tours to heritage sites, forging new linkages that ripple across economies and communities.

Durban has hosted Africa's Travel Indaba for over three decades, with the city confirmed to host the prestigious event again until at least 2030. Hotels, restaurants, transport operators, and township enterprises all benefit from the influx of visitors and deals struck in boardrooms.  TQ