Blue Train hammer blow a warning of more decline in SA tourism sector

Just when our battered tourism industry was contemplating the return of foreign visitors, as travel and health restrictions are eased, it was given a hammer blow by the news that one of the jewels in our tourism crown, the Blue Train, has been taken out of operation.

While there will be those who point out, correctly, that this does not affect them directly, it is the indirect impact of the collapse of South Africa’s image as a tourist destination which is ominous.

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The Blue Train was beset with problems even before the recent derailments and deliberate torching of some of its carriages. Many trips between Pretoria and Cape Town – its main route – were badly disrupted because
of the collapse of rail infrastructure. Cables have been stolen (rail operator Transnet reports kilometres of power and signal lines stolen every day), stations have been stripped and even rails have been removed. Our railways have the look of a post-apocalyptic nightmare.

Yet, that is not the only bad news for our overall image as being “The world in one country”, to revive an old SA Tourism slogan. Recent reports predict there may be no more rhinos in the Kruger National Park in as little as three years, while visitors are warned not to swim in the sea off Durban because of sewage pollution.

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While it is easy to say that those who steal valuable rail infrastructure should be charged with economic terrorism (for that is what it is) and jailed for long terms as a deterrent, that does not deal with the basic issue: our government is responsible for our relentless decline into failed state status. President Cyril Ramaphosa needs to get rid of Cabinet dead wood (most of them) and take firm action.

The Blue Train collapse is our canary-in-themine shaft moment.