Two-year Delay in Implementing Tourism Legislation

Statement by Andrew Whitfield MPL – DA Eastern Cape Provincial Leader:

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to Premier Oscar Mabuyane, demanding urgent intervention to finalise the regulations and bring the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency Act into operation.

Although Act 3 of 2024 was published in the Provincial Gazette in August 2024, more than two years ago, the province is still waiting for its implementation.

The Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism has recorded that the legislation remains uncommenced pending the development of regulations. This delay demands an explanation and a firm deadline for action.

As the Eastern Cape confronts a deepening jobs crisis, government should be removing obstacles to investment and employment. Passing legislation and then leaving it gathering dust does nothing for an unemployed resident hoping to earn a living from the province’s tourism economy.

The legislative overhaul was intended to align the provincial framework with national tourism legislation and address implementation gaps. Finalising practical, workable regulations is essential to giving effect to that reform.

The new Act strengthens and clarifies the agency’s mandate to facilitate public-private and community partnerships for conservation management and ecotourism development. Implemented properly, this framework could help attract investment, improve tourism facilities, and expand opportunities for communities neighbouring provincial reserves.

Comparable approaches elsewhere in South Africa demonstrate what can be achieved. In the Western Cape, CapeNature’s tourism partnerships, including at De Hoop Nature Reserve, have supported investment, local employment, skills development, and opportunities for small businesses supplying goods and services.

SANParks recorded R102.4 million in revenue from concession operators in 2022/23. Its concession model enables private operators to invest in and operate tourism facilities while the state retains ownership of the land and assets and receives fees that support conservation.

The Eastern Cape should be building on these lessons to develop commercially viable tourism enterprises that support conservation and create work for guides, hospitality staff, maintenance teams, transport operators, and local suppliers.

Transparent procurement, enforceable conservation standards, and meaningful community participation must underpin these partnerships.

I have also asked the Premier to explain the delay, identify the outstanding regulations, and provide a public timetable for their completion and the Act’s commencement.

Section 74 of the Act expressly allows different provisions to commence on different dates. He must, therefore, explain why provisions that have been finalised cannot be brought into operation while the remaining work is completed.

Tourism can provide a pathway to prosperity for communities across the Eastern Cape, turning our natural assets into investment, thriving local businesses, and sustainable jobs. The Premier must end the delays and implement the reforms needed to unlock that potential.

The DA will continue fighting for an economy that is working for all.