Deputy tourism minister conducts recce of Upper South Coast
The Durban South Business Forum (DSBF) was privileged to play host to the deputy minister of tourism, Tokozile Xasa on Tuesday, 15 October.
The minister was in town to be the keynote speaker at the DSBF’s gala dinner and the organisation decided to take advantage of her being in Toti to showcase the area’s tourism gems.
The afternoon started off with a guided tour from the Sapphire Coast Tourism office in Beach Road, along Toti Main Beach, the promenade, Rogies Park and Toti Lagoon with the first stop the newly cleared Ilanda Wilds site, situated on Isundu Drive.
The group, consisting of the deputy minister’s office, management committees of DSBF and Sapphire Coast Toti Tourism (SCTT) and local media, were entertained by tour guide councillor Andre Beetge on the history of Amanzimtoti.
Folklore has it that the town is named after the Amanzimtoti River that in turn derives its name from an alleged exclamation by Zulu King Shaka back in 1828 who, upon drinking from the water exclaimed: “Kanti amanzi’mtoti” (So the water is sweet) leading to the river then becoming known as Amanzimtoti (sweet waters).
Cllr Beetge called on the deputy minister to unveil a granite plaque that was replaced on Monday by local firm Toti Granite to mark this historic event – this after a previous plaque installed by the local parks department several years ago was vandalised.
“The parks department (natural resources) has cleared the area in an attempt to attract both locals and visitors to our area,” said Cllr Beetge.
“The initiative to re-install the plaque will be followed by name plates to distinguish and educate people on indigenous trees that grow in the area.
Through these attempts, we hope to make the park a point of interest on the new tourism route and by welcoming people to the otherwise isolated area, eradicate crime. I call on residents to utilise the park for picnics and recreation, bearing in mind gas is welcome, but not open fires”
The tour continued along Warner Beach where the ski-boat and shore angling clubs at Baggies attracted attention, with the deputy minister exclaiming: “In comparison to other areas that I have visited across the country, I have to compliment your town on being exceptionally clean”.
The tour then departed via Winkelspruit and the R102 to Umgababa Beach, one of four pilot status Blue Flag beaches within the boundaries of eThekwini Municipality.
A light lunch was taken at Waves Restaurant in Umkomaas, where local dive operators shared some secrets on the Aliwal Shoal, one of the top 10 diving sites and one of the top five shark diving spots in the world.
The group then visited Jubilee Hall at Adams College, where African leaders such as JL Dube (after whom the Dube trade port is named), Nelson Mandela, Nkosazana Dlamani-Zuma and Robert Mugabe to name but a few, received their formal education.
“The deputy minister expressed her disappointment at the neglect of what should be a heritage site, committing to investigate so that it could be added as a point of attraction on the future tourism route being planned by the SCTT committee in conjunction with Durban Tourism.
The evening, with Xasa as the keynote speaker, ended off on a high note with a formal dinner hosted at Moringa in the Southgate Industrial Park.
Speakers and those in attendance included Sadha Naidoo, chairman of Tourism KZN, Renier Schoeman of the Progressive Business Forum, Robin Xu of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, eThekwini Speaker, Logie Naidoo and head of Durban Tourism, Phillip Sithole.
