Updated: Television programme to address unrest and its consequences
The production team got wind of his outcry and visited the town and surrounding communities last week.
The Carte Blanche programme that was triggered by André Duif’s outcry on Facebook about the dangers the ongoing unrest hold for tourism and business in the Lowveld, will only be broadcast on Sunday September 16 at 19:00.
It was originally planned for last Sunday.
Hazyview Herald referred to his post in a recent article. Now he has his hopes set on the television programme Carte Blanche.
The production team got wind of his outcry and visited the town and surrounding communities last week to record an episode that will address all sides of this problem.
Apart from guest house owners and tourism operators, the team also interviewed officials of local and provincial government departments and a few community leaders from rural areas.
“I just hope these interviews will eventually bring change and goodwill to our region,” Duif told Hazyview Herald after the team’s visit. “We have a lot of sympathy with the protesters, since we realise they have valid issues with municipalities and the government. Hopefully this broadcast will take these issues, with our related tourism concerns, to the next level.”
Among the avalanche of attention his post created was not only support in abundance, but also hostility from other role players in the local hospitality trade.
Regarding this, Duif is philosophical. “When I wrote that post I also realised that it could temporarily harm our business, but we need to think further and consider our overseas guests. They pay a lot of money to spend two or three days in our region. When they can’t visit the Kruger National Park or drive along the Panorama Route, their feedback when they get home creates much worse publicity.”
Therefore he feels that the problem should be tackled on a bigger platform sooner rather than later. “Let the truth get out in the open so that our region, our tourism, our livelihood, our valley farmers and our local communities and their needs can benefit in the end,” he pleaded. “It is important to bring change to this beautiful country and its people.”
He also feels that while tourism is the backbone of the economy, the local youth need to be educated to realise this.
“Next to Cape Town, the Kruger National Park and the Panorama Route are what overseas guests come to South Africa for. The disbelief on their faces when you tell them that it might not be possible for them to go to either is unbearable.”
