Contracts for tourism monitors to be renewed
The TSM contracts have been renewed to cover all tourists-attraction hot spots with effect from June 1, 2015. MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Vusi Shongwe, said these were reviewed each financial year.
To increase safety within Umjindi Local Municipality, the contracts for local Tourist Safety Monitors (TSMs) will be renewed.
Barberton currently has 22 TSMs working to cover all the tourist attractions in the area. These include Pick n Pay, Barberton Museum, Stop Forth Museum and other busy parking areas among others.
TSMs are employed by the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison to enhance tourist safety in the municipality.
Although they are employed by the department, they report to the local police station and receive stipends from the department.
The TSM contracts have been renewed to cover all tourists-attraction hot spots with effect from June 1, 2015.
MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Vusi Shongwe, said these were reviewed each financial year. He said it was a process to determine whether the TSMs were still aligned in their responsibilities.
“As much as this is another form of creating job opportunities, we want dedicated individuals, hence we review each and every contract before renewing it,” said Shongwe.
He said these TSMs were not trained as police reservists since they provided customer care, communication, and reporting mechanisms to the police.
“They have basic knowledge of how the criminal justice system works. They attend to crime such as carjacking, theft of motor vehicles, rape, common robbery and burglary. They also participate in road blocks when they are requested by police stations,” said Shongwe.
He said they expected monitors to assist in creating a safe and conducive environment for tourists.
