A whistle-blower has contacted the Democratic Alliance (DA) providing information that the ANC is allegedly planning to start a “sweetheart” union for the tourism sector sanctioned by Luthuli House. This tourism union will supposedly be compliant and deferential to the ANC and would serve as the official voice of the tourism industry thus muting the sector in an attempt to stop the tourism demonstrations that are now taking place almost daily.

Such a union would be ideally timed in the current climate caused by the lockdown and economic hardships that the ANC government itself caused. These hardships have been highlighted by professionals within this sector, leaving hundreds of thousands without jobs and many others unable to earn a living for the past 5 months.

With the establishment and existence of such a union, the ANC government would be able to create the perception that it cares for the tourism industry when all it wants is one that is compliant and will not demonstrate in the manner that the sector has in recent weeks. The DA is advised that the ANC plans to register the Tourism Union of South Africa (TUSA), a union that was established by tourism operators and tour-guides a few years ago but was never registered with the Department of Labour and Employment.

An official, with instructions from Luthuli House, is supposedly working at formalising the TUSA.

This clandestine action under the watch of the Minister of No Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, matches what she stated at a Tourism Portfolio Committee meeting in mid-July when discussing the regulations that are currently decimating the tourism sector, when she explained that there must be no ambiguity with regards her unequivocal support for Government, even if it causes the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs as is currently happening. The establishment of such a union would reinforce this support given to Government by the clearly out of touch Minister.

In the last few weeks, the tourism, hospitality and restaurant industries have launched a concerted and sustained campaign against Government’s crippling Covid-19 lockdown. They have successfully highlighted how it is decimating these sectors as hundreds of thousands of jobs are being lost. The Minister has even admitted this on numerous occasions, yet she chooses to do nothing to aid the sector, instead, she chooses to seemingly work against them.

The DA will be keeping a close eye on developments in this regard so that it can caution the tourism sector about the threat this union poses to the sector.

Issued by The DA