Durban- The South Coast Tourism & Investment Enterprise (SCTIE) says that the necessary steps are being taken by the Ugu District Municipality and government to address water outages on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.
On Wednesday, The Mercury reported that the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) had raised serious concerns about the impact of outages on the tourism and hospitality businesses in the area.
Phelisa Mangcu, the CEO of SCTIE, said that unfortunately the water shortages affecting certain areas compounded an already challenging situation for local businesses.
“France Zama, the spokesperson for Ugu District Municipality, has announced that static tanks are being replenished daily as an interim measure while the municipality is working around the clock to fast-track the restoration process to ensure supply is fully restored.”
Mangcu added that there were also long-term turnaround plans in place.
“These plans are supported by Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu, and will improve the water supply for the communities of the district. These include the installation of boreholes, major pipeline replacements, as well as refurbishing electrical and mechanical infrastructure, among other things.”
Mangcu said they trusted that the new measures being put in place and the commitments made by Ugu District Municipality to rectify the situation would have a positive impact on the water supply to the region.
“Despite the water challenges, the KZN South Coast has enjoyed a boost in the tourism economy over the past few months, with Ugu District coming out tops provincially over the festive season with an occupancy rate of 97% in the last week of 2022.”
Mangcu added that over the Easter weekend, they noted overall occupancy rates of 60% which, when compared with other tourism regions, was fairly consistent, particularly concerning the current economic climate.
“The continued interest we’re seeing on the KZN South Coast can be attributed to our many tourism assets from having the highest number of Blue Flag beaches in the province, and two of the world’s top dive sites at Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks, to our incredible adventure and eco-tourism offerings – including newly established beach and hinterland hiking experiences – and 11 quality golf courses.”
Mangcu said that while water supply challenges remained, it was important to note that this was limited to certain areas, and a number of our tourism establishments had made provisions, including installing water tanks and boreholes, to ensure guests were not affected.