The issue of foreigners employed in tourism sector a growing concern – parliament told

Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, Lungi Mnganga-Gcabashe, has called on the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) to ensure that only documented individuals are employed in the sector.

The TBCSA briefed the committee on its efforts to improve tourism in South Africa on Tuesday.

The council works to ensure that the priorities and interests of the private sector are advanced. It also provides insights to inform government policy and create platforms for ongoing engagement, among other roles.

Tourism numbers

During its presentation, the TBCSA said that it aims to attract approximately 15.7 million inbound visitors by 2030 and increase domestic travel to 12 million trips annually.

“For us to be able to do that, we cannot do it alone as the private sector. We see ourselves as working very closely with government on national, provincial and metro level. We are looking for opportunities to do this better and we need to help each other instil the culture of travel and tourism in South Africa,” TBCSA chair Jerry Mabena told the committee.

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“If we do it, if we can move the current numbers to the targeted numbers in 2030, it will have a significant impact on the economy, starting with the creation of jobs, especially for the youth market, all over the country, including the rural areas.”

‘Improve the visa regime’

To achieve this, Mabena urged the government to invest in a fully automated, world-class e-visa system with improved e-infrastructure at South Africa’s airports.

He also emphasised that visa waivers for specific markets, critical skills visas and temporary work visas for tourists are crucial for increasing visitor numbers.

“We are asking to improve the visa regime in our country, either getting a fully automated visa plus or a much more improved e-Visa infrastructure in our airports,” said Mabena.

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“We should increase the number of countries that can have some type of a waiver in terms of visa access, and also because of the trends in the global travel and tourism markets of people beginning to work remotely. We do need to look for critical skills visas and temporary work visas that we can begin to provide to some of our visitors.”

Foreigners in industry

In response, Mnganga-Gcabashe reminded the TBCSA of concerns surrounding foreign nationals employed in the tourism sector, saying that the matter needs to be addressed cautiously.

In July, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said his department would intensify inspections at restaurants, spaza shops, farms and mines by over 50% to take action, including deportations, against people who are illegally employed.

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Schreiber also said in September that importing more tertiary-educated workers would boost South Africa’s economy.

“Bringing just 11,000 more highly skilled and experienced individuals to South Africa would triple the annual growth rate from the 0.6% the country experienced last year,” Schrieber told the Rand Merchant Bank Morgan Stanley Investor Conference at the time.

This is in addition to the 4,913 critical skills visas that the department has approved since 2020.

However, Mnganga-Gcabashe stressed the importance of prioritising South African workers where possible.

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“The issue of foreign nationals employed in the tourism sector is a growing concern these days and I think the TBCSA should ensure that properly documented people are employed,” said Mnganga-Gcabashe.

“Non-critical skills jobs should also be given to citizens of South Africa.”