WeeklySA_AdminGold mine: Free entry at select nature reserves and a host of activities plannned. As provincial government commits to create more than hundred thousand jobs annually in the sector
By Ali Mphaki
Mpumalanga as a tourist destination is a well-spread buffet – you can pick and you can choose. Blessed with an abundance of pristine beauty, ample outdoor activity spots and inspiring cultural experiences, little wonder that visitors easily find themselves rivetted ala a mosquito in a nudist camp, not knowing where the start to bite and enjoy the goodies on offer.
Just a tad 100km or so from Johannesburg, the province formerly known as eastern Transvaal beckons you to come sample its abundant nature reserves, bird sanctuaries, trout fishing, God’s Window, and a distinct hospitality.
Here tourism is the goldmine of the province”, as alluded to MEC for economic development and tourism Makhosazane Masilela
Not surprising therefore that the scene of the media launch of the 2024 Mpumalanga Tourism month on Tuesday was the Incwala Lodge, nestled in the mountains of Emgwenya in Emakhazeni (a place of cold) district, east of Witbank.
Dubbed “Tourism and Peace – 30 years of connecting people, places and culture’, among dignitaries was district mayor Nomhle Mashele, acting head of the department of economic development and tourism Lemmy Mdluli, and acting CEO of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, Justus Mohlala.
Gauteng-based poet Ntsiki Mazwai graced the occasion as guest of the MTPA. In her address MEC Masilela reiterated her commitment to create around 100 000 new jobs every year in the tourism sector (as alluded to in her Maiden policy and budget speech last month).
She was emphatic that if the Mpumalanga government was to achieve its employment target of 2.1 million jobs by 2030 “the tourism sector if developed properly is one sector that will propel the government to realise its commitment”.
“Tourism is our gold mine in Mpumalanga, hence, it must be continually nurtured in order for government to reach its target as it relates to job creation,” she said.
Like all other provinces, unemployment in Mpumalanga especially among the youth, is at a staggering estimated 40 percent which calls for creative ways of addressing what many describe as a time-bomb.
Masilela whilst acknowledging the huge challenge of unemployment especially among the youth (estimated at 40 percent) said among her department’s plans was developing what she called “high impact” projects at stimulating job creation, mentioning “catalyctic” projects such as the Barbeton Makhonjwa Mountains World heritage site, and the Blyde Canyon Cable car.
Of note, she said, was her instruction the MTPA to “fast-track” its programme of revitalizing their nature reserves, with a view of attracting both foreign and domestic tourists into these nature reserves.
Likely to bring a cheer to the hard-pressed locals was Masilela’s announcement “to grant our people free entry to our selected nature reserves” during what the Mpumalanga Parks week from September 9 to 13. It is not clear whether free entry would guarantee free game drives, the cheapest of which starts from around R800
Activities around the Mpumalanga tourism month kicked-off with the Mpumalanga Tourism Careers Expo which opened in Middleburg on Wednesday. This is where scores of youth were exposed to various careers within the tourism sector etc.
Running concurrently with the Careers Expo is the annual Mpumalanga Tourism Expo, which also started on Wednesday in Mbombela to showcase and promote products of tourism SMMes and runs until Friday.
Also on the cards is the celebration of the Provincial Tourism Awareness Day on September 14 in Masibekele in the Nkomazi Hani local municipality. As if to round up the month-long tourism month on a sporting note, athletes can look forward to the Makhonjwa Mountain marathon on September 28. This is a race qualifier towards the Two Oceans and the Comrades Marathon.
“We can now confirm, without any shadow of doubt,” said Masilela,”that Mpumalanga tourism is open for business”. Quizzed by journos about the appalling state of the roads in the province, it was concerning, said Masilela, who added she was in communication with the relevant departments to tackle this challenge head-on.
On a sombre (pronounced sombrrre) note and offering her government’s condolences, Masilela mentioned the killing of a male tourist at the tourist last weekend at the tourist attraction site called Bourke’s Luck Potholes, saying “we are struggling to come to terms with the death, particularly because we have invested heavily in ensuring safety of our tourists”.
She implored all tourists to adhere to (all) safety measures put in place to avoid injuries and fatalities. Chairperson of the MTPA board Victor Mashego made no bones about Mpumalanga’s fervent desire to catapult the western Cape as the number 1 tourist province in South Africa.
“We are coming. Watch this space,” he said. Top Mpumalanga deejay and director of proceedings The Big Zill bemoaned the early closure of malls in the province (6pm) and urged the people of Mpumalanga to desist from going to bed early.
Wake up everybody, he charged. The Mpumalanga tourism month will culminate in the National Day of Tourism penciled for Kimberley in the Northern Cape on September 27.
