Lisa Sheard, of Kruger Lowveld Tourism (KLCBT), confirmed that White River LTO members were providing support to the victims.
In the past few weeks there has been a spate of attacks on tourists in the area.
In September an Israeli woman holidaying in Graskop was raped and her two companions assaulted and robbed at the lodge where they were staying. The police is still on the hunt for the four men who were allegedly involved in the attack.
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Last month a well-known rock climber, David Wade was shot dead while trying to help security guards during a robbery at an adventure farm where he was holidaying in Waterval Boven.
Earlier this week a man, suspected of targeting tourists in the area, was arrested after police launched an operation to combat crime during the upcoming festive season.
The 45-year-old man was taken into custody on November 2 in connection with theft in Graskop. He was set to appear in court yesterday.
Brig Leonard Hlathi, Mpumalanga police spokesman, said the suspect would allegedly target tourists and would tamper with ATMs so that when one attempted to insert a bank card, the card would get stuck.
“He would then offer assistance of some kind.”
The man would then end up taking large amounts of the victims’ cash without their consent.
“The police cannot rule out possibilities of linking this man to other various unresolved cases in which similar modi operandi were used.”
The suspect is believed to have been operating in and around the area of Graskop for quite some time, targeting tourists and mostly foreigners. According to Hlathi, the suspect assumed that he would get away with this modus operandi as the majority of his victims would be reluctant to travel to-and-from overseas to attend court cases.
The suspect has already appeared before the Graskop Magistrate’s Court on Monday and was remanded in custody.
The provincial commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lt Gen Mondli Zuma, applauded the police members for finally apprehending this suspect who has already been charged.
“We are looking forward to arresting more suspects, that are terrorising our community, especially during this time of the year where our people are targeted at ATMs as well as when they leave the banks with cash.”
He added that Mpumalanga is a province that is visited by many tourists who invest a lot into the province’s economy and, “as police we cannot allow criminals to reign as well as terrorise our people and tourists under our watch.
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I want to send a stern warning to other criminals that we are coming for you and we will not rest until you are all behind bars”.
Crime experts have warned that rising contact crimes are eating away at the country’s tourism profits, as the sector grew by only 2,4 per cent compared to a global growth rate of seven per cent.
Johan Burger, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, said it was becoming increasingly difficult to market the country, as more people emigrate to other countries, and that this also has a negative effect on tourism.
The FF Plus also expressed their concerns in a statement, saying it had previously spoken out about the high crime rate in the province.
The provincial Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism has condemned the recent attacks on foreign nationals.
Tourism contributed 1,5 million jobs to the economy in 2018. The tourism sector is still providing employment even under tough economic times. The department said the tourism sector is highly dependent on people from outside the country.
“As this sector contributes economically and it employs people despite economic conditions, it has to be sustained. These individuals are receiving the awards to be encouraged to do more. We would also like to discourage our people to stop attacking foreign nationals, as the survival of tourism in the province depends on neighbouring countries like Mozambique and eSwatini,” said Mpumalanga economic development MEC, Pat Ngomane.
SA Tourism chief executive Sisa Ntshona said visa issues and crime were the biggest issues troubling the economy and that these issues were eating at the country’s profits.
“But we must remember that these issues of crime are not in South Africa alone. When one tourist is mugged in our country, that sparks major news, while in Paris maybe 10 tourists get mugged, but that hardly gets the media’s attention. Yes, crime is negatively affecting the tourism sector but, like many other problems in our country, we have to counteract it.”
Hlathi appealed to anyone that might have fallen victim, especially in Graskop and the surrounding areas, to approach the nearest police station or contact Det Col James Mziako or Det Sgt Muzi Ngomane on 013-762-4419 or 082-565-7658 (c).
Alternatively, members of the community can call 10111 or call 086-001-0111.
