The Hazyview Chamber of Business and Commerce (HCBT) gathered representatives from the tourism, security and municipal sectors at Hippo Hollow on April 29 for its annual meeting.
The committee encouraged members to get businesses to join the HCBT as these were also dependent on the business brought in by establishments like lodges and hotels.
Thanks to the HCBT’s ongoing efforts, there was better communication between the various stakeholders and goodwill among the police regarding the organisation.
Liaison officer, Elvis Ngomane, manned an office at the Hazyview Police Station and was in charge of following up all crimes related to tourists. He also acted as a link between the HCBT members and the police, and communicated the public’s complaints and problems to the relevant police officers.
Members were encouraged to report any and all crimes, no matter how great or small, as these statistics were vital to the police’s crime-fighting strategy.
Long queues of people waiting to get their documents certified, were also mentioned by community members as a hinderance to report or follow up on cases. The committee replied that the issue was being adressed and suggested that people contact Ngomane in the meantime with their tourism-related crimes and issues.
To improve the service provided by and attitudes of staff at the police’s charge office, the HCBT was arranging for customer-care training.
The committee, in conjuction with the relevant authorities, were trying to put regular roadblocks in place and increase the visibility of police to deter criminals. They would also like to arrange monthly occasions where police set up tents in busy parts of town to make the community aware of their presence.
The Sabie Valley Neighbourhood Security was also lauded for their phenomenal successes in combatting crime. Their representative mentioned that the general awareness of the information channels available to report suspicious activity and crime was a great help in decreasing crime.
Residents were cautioned to report suspicious activity on or outside their property to security outfits or the police, rather than going outside to check themselves.
The strike by tourism-safety monitors was also one of the longer discussions of the meeting.
According to the HCBT committee, tourism-safety monitors were part of an expanded public works programme with the goal of appointing people for a certain term to gain sufficient skills to start their own business afterwards.
Their purpose was to aid tourists with tourism information or directions to improve their experience in the area.
The monitors were currently on strike as their contracts had reportedly been terminated.
There are 32 monitors in Hazyview alone and locals found that they were not very visible or useful to tourists. Ngomane also mentioned that they didn’t relay issues that could have an impact on tourism, like protest movements.
It was mentioned that this could be due to the fact that they were given very basic training only and didn’t or couldn’t communicate with other stakeholders.
It was agreed that having monitors was a good concept but needed to be revised so that they could be the ears and eyes of the tourism industry.
Ms Lisa Sheard of the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism remarked that the minister of tourism, Mr Derek Hanekom would like to implement a “working on tourism” programme to give the industry greater priority.
The HCBT’s efforts in cleaning up illegal hawkers and roadside structures were also discussed. The HCBT, property owners and municipality were working together to find a better way to organise hawkers.
The latter was required to register and more than 300 registrations had been received. Hawkers would be assigned a space in certain areas, with similar enterprises like hairdressers and food stalls grouped together.
The stakeholders would start the clean-up of illegal hawkers in the area at the Shell filling station in the centre of town. Building inspector Mr Jerry Nxumalo, who was involved with the project, thanked the HCBT for involving the council. “It helps us to be hands-on and attend to the problems and complaints in the area,” Nxumalo said.
The meeting concluded with a request to start compiling regular tourism statistics to help establishments improve their offerings.
A representative offered to spearhead the process. Statistics would include occupancy, what problems tourists encountered or what they liked about the area or establishment.
Anyone interested in joining the HCBT or one of their projects can email Chris Harvie at cbharvie@gmail.com
