(Daan du Plessis)

The Premier of Mpumalanga, Mr N.J. Mahlangu, praised the Emakhazeni Economic Forum for their outstanding performance during 2003 at the yearly cabinet out-reach meeting held at the South African Epilepsy Hall in Dullstroom on the 17th February 2004. He said that the forum successfully completed 30% of the goals and his office will support the EEF and fund projects in order to reach higher goals. The Premier said that the Emakhazeni Economic Forum is one of the most advanced forum in Mpumalanga and well structured in such a way that it accommodate all the facetst of the community. He noticed that there is a trend of not attending meetings but encouraged all organisations in the region to join forces with Emakhazeni Economic Forum in order to build a better place for all. He said people must learn to work together and that apartheid is from the past and he can see that the success of the forum is the result of a community that put it behind them. He instructed the mayor Jane Nkalane and Mr Oberholzer to extend the forum's skills development plans and to reinvestigate a community strawberry farm for Belfast, the High Altitude training Centre for Dullstroom, and the Fly Fishing Park in Machadodorp.

Mayor Jane Nkalane said in her welcoming address that the name of Highlands Municipality is in the process to be changed to Emakhazeni Municipality and thanked the forum for taking the lead of the name change and the designing of the emblem. She also thanked the chairman, Mr Ignas Oberholzer and his executive committee, for the outstanding performance and support to her and the council. She also answered the questions from the, approximately 150 people from the community who attended. On a question from the Dullstroom Rate Payers, which was not relevant to the meeting, the mayor said that the line of communication to council is either through the ward committee or through the Emakhazeni Economic Forum which is also her advisory committee.

The Chairman of the Emakhazeni Economic Forum [EEF], Mr Ignas Oberholzer, said that the forum was formed just after the premier's visit on the 7th August 2002 with the agenda, creating sustainable businesses within the Highlands Municipality region. He said what drives him and his committee was the inspirational words of the Premier at this particular meeting when he said that poverty is the result of a lack of commitment.

Mr Oberholzer said that he and his committee is fully committed to build the Highlands Municipality Region to a better home for all the members of the community. He said that the EEF was leading the process of reconstruction and development of the Highlands Municipality region in order to pay particular attention to a new phenomenon, the struggle against poverty.

The EEF realised the need to transform the Highlands Municipality region through a focussed programme of reconstruction and development. He said, with this in mind, we advanced social transformation in our region, through a concerted programme for reconstruction and development. “We recognised that reconstruction and development cannot bare fruit if carried out by local government alone, therefore we build strong linkages with communities and business organisations as well as women and youth structures. We accelerated employment-creation as a central objective. During this process we improve our performance with regard to the growth and development of SMME's.

To a certain extent we reduced the number of unemployed people, by intensifying our campaign to raise the skills level among our community. We increased community-based programmes to ensure that it absorbs larger numbers of the unemployed. We used the national government's budget to improve the quality of life in the Highlands Municipality. We ensured the proper functioning of the EEF as a supporting and advisory structure of the Highlands Municipality, and we carried out our tasks effectively and efficiently to bring the communities closer to local government.”

(Jim Peron)

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) once said something that was profoundly important yet relatively simple to understand. ‘Give a man the secure possession of a bleak rock, and he will turn it into a garden; give him nine year's lease of a garden and he will convert it into a desert.' What Mill was writing about, simply put, is the concept of property rights and the economic incentives those rights create.

A bleak rock with property rights becoming a garden may seem to be hyperbole. But Hong Kong was precisely such a bleak rock. It was a colony of Britain but it was a colony where property rights and free markets prevailed. And it quickly became one of the most prosperous places on the planet. It has no natural resources to speak of and even the drinking water has to be imported. But with property rights the people prospered.

I have always marvelled when walking the streets of Hong Kong . The massive skyscrapers and the hundreds of thousands of thriving shops and businesses are enticing. It's a shoppers paradise.
Of course at one time the people of Hong Kong were poor. But they were free to trade their labour and they were, most importantly, free to keep what they produced. The average GDP per capita is now at R180,335. Government only consumes about 10.3% of GDP and the highest tax rate for individuals is 18.5%. There are few regulations, no minimum wage and secure property rights.

According to the Wall Street Journal's economic freedom index Hong Kong is the world's freest economy.
But Mill also wrote of a garden without property rights that turns into a desert. I can't think of a better description for Zimbabwe . There the average per capita GDP is a mere R4,050, so the people of Hong Kong are forty-five times wealthier in spite of both starting out as poor colonies. Hong Kong had no natural resources while Zimbabwe had an abundance of them. However, Zimbabwe government spending equals about 38% of the entire GDP and the highest individual tax rate is a whopping 45%. As a result of its policies Zimbabwe today is listed near the very bottom of the economic freedom index.
Just a few years ago Zimbabwe was a major food exporter but Mugabe's infamous land confiscation made that history. Within a few short years the breadbasket of Southern Africa became the desert that was predicted by Mill over a century ago. People produce goods and services, including food, when they feel that their effort will not go to waste. They won't improve property they don't own or which they feel may be taken from them at the whim of a government bureaucracy. There is security of property in Hong Kong and the bleak rock has become a garden. In Zimbabwe the garden has been transformed into a desert because property rights are no longer respected.

A farmer who fears losing his property won't invest the same time, labour or money into the farm as one who believes he'll be allowed to reap the fruits of his labour. A business owner who knows that government will tax the bulk of his profit away is not as likely to put in the effort required to expand his business. And what is never considered is the insecurity of the people who have moved onto the Zimbabwean farms. When will their turn come to be thrown off the farms by politicians wanting the farms for themselves, as has happened, or wishing to grant political patronage to someone other than the current occupants? In an environment where property rights are not respected, lawlessness prevails, and anyone can be dispossessed at any time, including ‘war veterans'. So even they do not have positive incentives to put energy into developing the farms they have invaded.

Production is not something that people plan on Monday and do on Tuesday. It's a long term process. Even talk of appropriating property from people, either through the process of land confiscation or higher taxes affects the way people behave. If they are insecure their thinking is short term and they do less.
A farmer fearing land confiscation may not put in the new irrigation system that is needed. He won't build the new barn or bother clearing that extra land of rocks so he can plant there. He's not just farming for tomorrow. He's farming for next year, for ten years from now, even for the next generation.

Talk about involuntary land exchanges (where property is taken from an unwilling seller who is compensated) immediately impedes investment in land. The results of that lack of investment won't show up immediately. It takes time but the results eventually do appear and they aren't good.

South Africa is not Zimbabwe . But it's not Hong Kong either. And the numbers prove the point – the SA per capita GDP is R29,473 –. somewhere in-between the two. It's highest tax rate is now 40% and government expenditure as a share of GDP is 27%.

The question is not, ‘Where is South Africa today?' The question is, ‘Where is South Africa going?' Will it become more like Hong Kong or more like Zimbabwe ? The direction of policy change regarding property rights in South Africa is a good indicator of which way the nation is heading.

(Dr Jim Harris)

Christopher Smart's 18th-century Song of David '...sung of it – the mighty source of all things – the stupendous force on which all strength depends; from whose right arm, beneath whose eyes, all period, pow'r and enterprise commences, reigns and ends.'

According to an old dictionary, advantage or benefit – the excess of returns over expenditure – the pecuniary gain in a transaction or occupation – is called profit. Yet nowadays many think profit a dirty word and few understand it as the source of all human growth and prosperity.

Indeed, many may not envisage the purpose of life as the pursuit of pecuniary gain. Yet most of us prefer to acquire a certain amount of money. This may help to cover at least some basic needs before we 'wake up and smell the roses' and settle into comfy contemplation of the best things in life being free.

Only a fortunate few wanderers stumble across free and unowned resources such as rough surface diamonds. There are only two other routes to pecuniary or other gain - plunder and exchange. The important distinction is whether both parties are happy about the process, or only one. Though strictly speaking, if a robber leaves some masochistic altruist ecstatically happy, that would be mutually profitable exchange, however involuntary on the masochist's part. But we'll come back to taxpayers later.

Voluntary exchange is when we get what we want by giving away what we want less. The two-way process leaves each participant better off, at least in his own perception. He may feel that his is the perception that counts, and this is no trivial consideration. It distantly relates to the hardwired reflex of even the most primitive lifeform that 'if there's a pain, stop eating'. Only you know when you're better off. Or your mother.

Since both parties benefit, each trade increases overall wealth. Plunder, on the other hand, reduces wealth or depreciates value. The victim waves goodbye to the entire value (to him) of his loss. Meanwhile the robber gains less value, as shown by the way he treats his loot and for how little he will fence it. So if a country is to grow and prosper rather than implode like Zimbabwe , some affordable lid needs to be kept on its PPP (proportion of predatory plunder).

Philosopher Robert Nozick identified the core ethical value of voluntary co-operation for mutual benefit. Here, 'core' reflects the game-theoretical notion that no group can break away so that it or the rest of society will become sustainably better off. And in peacetime that is how private individuals and firms prefer to operate. We aim to satisfy partners and customers with our offered goods and services, so as to obtain in exchange the satisfactions we desire. And in success we prosper.

Then we do three things with our new prosperity. To avoid going to jail, we 'render unto Caesar' all unavoidable taxes. We consume at will, notably directing hard-earned resources to non-profit community operations such as churches in exchange for non-pecuniary social and spiritual services.

And whatever's left over we save for a rainy day. But since not much is left, South Africans save too little to support enough entrepreneurial investment for faster growth. World Bank scattergrams yield rough correlations between savings and growth. Of poor countries the rising eastern star grew throughout the nineties at 8.74% per capita, thanks partly to Chinese people saving 40% of their income. Newly among the rich countries, South Koreans save 29% and grow at 4.9% per capita. And at the two ends of a 'beeswarm' scattering of 17 developing middle-income countries lie South Africa and Mauritius .

South Africans save a mere 13.5% of GDP income and harvest no growth per capita. Mauritians save 27% and their per-capita incomes grow by 4% a year. How hard is that, for goodness' sake? Simply maintaining low inflation and scrapping tax on interest would probably double savings, investment and growth in SA.

Naturally it is a matter of perception which good things are nice to have. And a democratic electorate chooses for itself how much government it can afford, providing which services. But many such 'good things' – free education and healthcare, say? – that become affordable with prosperity, do not in their absence prevent faster growth. Instead growth is easily stifled by various economic restrictions too well-understood to repeat. And the largest of these, the sum and summary, is high taxation, the basic cause of our low savings and growth levels.

World Bank figures emphatically confirm the commonsense of low tax and high growth, high tax and low growth. So does the logic of plunder. The taxed victim loses the whole value of his money, while the taxman gains less – not fewer banknotes, but less worthwhile use of them. Lacking the profit motive and the spur of competition, government employees can't address customer needs well enough to give satisfaction.

Towards re-election, politicians claim to do their best in the public interest and for the public good. And you may know of a public service that does no harm and adds more value than it costs. But that's not the way to bet. Like the Post Office, state operations tend to need endless monopoly protection and subsidies. Only when fully privatised can these ugly ducklings turn into effective swans.

Most academics, journalists and non-profit-making NGO-spokesmen are quick to criticise the profit motive and private wealth-creators. But at least they have to offer value to attract customer support. Wholly tax-paid government employees, who may like to see themselves as service-providers rather than plunderers, never need face the reality of voluntary rejection by taxpayers freely withdrawing their custom. Sad irony, then, when we freely choose interventionist governments to over-regulate and stifle economic growth and prosperity. Especially when it is only the stupendous driving force or motivation of profit that satisfies and enriches us as freely-choosing customers.

There are over 27 000 schools in South Africa , nearly 12 million schoolchildren and over 35000 teachers. Now there are over 100 Eco-Schools registered and about 40 green flags flying in South Africa!

The first 14 green flags were awarded to a group of schools in Cintsa (a rural area near East London in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa ). There were about 500 people packed into a big tent in the school grounds near the beautiful garden the school has developed and which helps to feed both the school children and the local community. This garden was one of the school's Eco-School projects. It was a grand affair with speeches from every Department (Education, Environmental Affairs & Tourism, Water Affairs & Forestry, Agriculture) and of course some beautiful traditional dancing and singing. It made the front page of the newspaper and prime time on national morning TV!!

A further 11 schools were awarded flags in Durban on 20 November and 7 schools received their flags in Cape Town on 21 November. Several more schools will receive flags by the end of the year bringing the total number of awarded flags to about 40 for 2003.

WESSA's Treasure Beach Environmental Education Centre will also receive a flag for the efforts they make at their Centre to be an example to the schools that visit. They have focused on special environmental days, an indigenous garden at the Centre and a recycling programme. One of the teachers commented: "Suddenly everyone feels responsible and wants to be involved " and another one "This programme has focused our thoughts and initiatives… we know that overcoming the inertia of old habits will require much energy and persistence but we have made a start " and one more from a principal: "The Eco-School idea has brought a new and meaningful focus into our school… the children and staff have been caught up by the enthusiasm and a new dimension has been added to the school day. "

In South Africa the Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) manage the Eco-Schools programme in partnership with the Department of Education. Funding has been sourced from a large packaging company (Nampak) through WWF-SA. South Africa 's school curriculum has recently been thoroughly revised and Eco-Schools programme aims to support schools with implementing this new curriculum by developing lesson plans with an environmental focus. "The Department of Education is happy to partner the Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa to promote Eco-Schools as the initiative is taking heed of the need to deliver on the new curriculum " was the message from Education Minister Kader Asmal.

 There is interest in the Eco-Schools programme from many countries in the southern and eastern African region. Eco-Schools - South Africa is based in the WESSA offices which are also home to the Southern African Development Co-operation (SADC) Regional Environmental Education Centre. Many course participants visit the Centre and are interested to learn more about the Eco-School programme. In particular interest has been shown from Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zambia and the Seychelles. Funding from Danida enables the national Eco-Schools co-ordinator to support interest expressed by these countries.

Some anglers swear by it, while others swear at the thought of it. At times, there is a lot of controversy raging around the philosophy of catch and release. Before we take a look at articles and sites that discuss the topic, perhaps some music would be in order. Pete Huttlinger, a Nashville based guitarist, composer and arranger who also played with John Denver wrote a tune entitled "Catch And Release. "This piece is on his album of the same name, and if you have Real Audio, you can listen to a segment now. The amazing finger picking of the artist should soothe the emotions before we get into the discussion! If you do not have Real Audio, download it here.

'Capture and Release' as Captain Ann Holahan, Bonefish guide of Florida, calls it, is becoming a way of angling life for many. Admittedly, I am not a total catch and release angler as I do enjoy eating fish I have caught once in a while. I do think however, that a good balance must be maintained and I personally think it is outrageous that some anglers fill their coolers to overflowing with fish they have caught, even disregarding local limit regulations. Then of course there are the animal rights flakes that suggest that all angling should be banned. I am not a scientist and do not have a full understanding of all the issues that are involved in the controversy. There are some organizations like the Catch And Release Foundation that are actively involved in education and research of C & R issues. The author of a Catch and Release article at the Steelhead Site claims that he has caught the same fish a second time, after releasing it 20 minutes earlier. If it were true that we could all be so lucky to capture a fish a second time after releasing it, why are there so many other opinions on the practice?

One interesting argument against C&R are the reports of studies that show mortality rates of released fish to be extremely high. In other words, there is little point in releasing a fish if the chances of it surviving are minimal. As Outdoors Online Inc points out in Fish For Tomorrow, there are proper ways to release fish which will increase the chances of survival. But how many anglers actually care to learn this? And is it really enough?

James Fulton, Executive-Director of The David Suzuki Foundation , has written an interesting article entitled 'Catch And Release: Fatal Conservation of Pacific Salmon'. Here, Fulton cites studies that indicate mortality rates of 5 to 90%, depending upon where the fish was hooked, and whether barbless hooks were used. He argues that in circumstances such as the poor state of chinook salmon populations on the West Coast, angling should be shut down entirely. No catch. No release. Before anyone accuses Fulton of being among the animal rights flakes, it should be noted that he does not demand that all angling cease everywhere but suggests that where C&R is allowed, "the public should be informed about the safest hooks for salmon, the safest way to net, and the safest way to remove hooks for releasing salmon."

I would go even further than Fulton, and at the very least, encourage education, and consider regulation in extreme cases, about the manner in which fish are caught. Not only do the style of hooks have a bearing on mortality, but so does the tackle being used and the way in which the fish is fought prior to landing. Perhaps a reminder of our own high school sports competitions would be in order. For those of us that have trained and competed in any sport requiring a great deal of muscular exertion, we know the muscle pains and stiffness that often follows. It is my understanding that part of this pain is caused by a build up of lactic acid in the muscles. Fish are also prone to this, and according to Cliff Ageloff in his article on 'Catch And Release of Stripers' , acid build up combined with exhaustion will promote death swiftly for fish.

Fly and light line anglers should especially be aware of this. Often, we are involved in situations where we are fighting a fish in such a manner that the fight is prolonged, at least from the fish's point of view. We don't want to break our light lines or leaders, and therefore a large fish may very well be fought to the point of exhaustion. Something to think about.

What about trophy fish? Many anglers want to keep their big fish, not to eat, but to mount on the wall. Again, I cannot in good conscience criticize any who have done or will do this. Even some of our organizations appear to be promoting the killing of fish whether they realize it or not, according to this article by Paul Carpenter about a recent experience with IGFA. There are, however, other options available such as the fiberglas mounting services available from Fintastic. With the right information provided by you, this company and others like it, can produce a copy of the trophy fish you caught and released. Make sure you take your camera along on every trip!

No single article could cover every aspect of catch and release. I am sure that I will receive a few emails from folk who felt I should have included more information on some aspect of the subject (I haven't even mentioned slot limits), or who will vehemently disagree with something else. That's ok too. In fact, if you do have any ideas, suggestions, or theories on catch and release problems, why not post them to this site's bulletin board? I look forward to seeing some interesting and engaging discussion on the matter.

(Miguel de Sousa)

Fifteen establishments will receive their Mice medallion grading at a special ceremony during ICT 2004, which will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from February 25 to 27.

Arranged by exhibition organisers, South Africa RAI, ICT 2004 will see some 187 companies and organisations in the Mice (meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition) industry promoting their products and services to potential clients.

Exhibition manager, Nicolette Elia says ICT, to be held for the fourth time this year, has become South Africa's premier meeting place for Mice industry members and clients. "It is therefore appropriate that newly graded group business venues should receive their Mice medallions during the event. The Mice Club - that presents medallions to establishments - is an important supporter of ICT and we recognise their important role in setting and promoting high standards in this industry," she said.

(African Eye News Service)

As of next year, 33 new black tourist guides will be trained each year in Mpumalanga to try balance the ratio of black and white guides in the province.

At the moment, the tourist guide sector in the region is dominated by whites. Of the more than 1 000 registered tourist guides in the province, only 155 are black, according to provincial tourism director, Calvyn Gilfellan.

Addressing the Tourist Guide of the Year award in Hazyview last week, MEC of environmental affairs and tourism, Jacob Mabena, said black guides appeared to face more challenges than their white colleagues.

"Many black guides have the burden of language, prejudice from tour operators and fellow-guides, lack of finance, limited guiding opportunities, limited career-path opportunities, little training and aftercare," he said.

The new training programme will include foreign language courses, the retraining of existing guides to meet the challenges of the new South Africa and awareness campaigns aimed at tour operators and other product owners to encourage them to use black guides.

South Africa 's tourism industry has also set an ambitious target to ensure that blacks own at least 60% of tourism products like hotels and B&Bs by 2014.

The Tourist Guide of the Year award went to Ettienne Roux who won R5 000 and a chance to compete at national level on World Tourist Guide Day on February 23 in KwaZulu Natal.

Retty Ledligwane was a runner up and the only female to make it to the finals, while Nelson Moloto walked away with the Emerging Tourist Guide of the Year award.

(Miguel de Sousa)

The gathering of some 150 top Mice (meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition) industry companies at the ICT 2004 exhibition in Johannesburg this month is an indication of the growing importance of this sector in South Africa's economy.

This according to Cape Town Convention Bureau ceo, Rick Taylor who says the Mice market is providing sustainable job creation opportunities to many South Africans.

He says research from last year revealed that on a macro scale the total Mice industry makes an annual contribution of approximately R20bn to South Africa's GDP which represents some 246 000 jobs with R6bn being paid annually in salaries.

Some 17% of foreign delegates bring an accompanying person with them while travelling, and 39% return with family and friends within five years of attending a conference or incentive, resulting in the continuous regeneration of South Africa as a tourist destination.

Taylor says, however, that Africa as a whole only has 4% share of the world's Mice market. "This represents an enormous opportunity for us to transform South Africa's emergent profile into one of our biggest selling points. Working symbiotically, we can raise South Africa's profile as the ideal Mice destination," he said.

ICT (Incentive, Conference & Travel) 2004 will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre from February 25 to 27, and will represent a cross-section of the entire Mice industry.

(Miguel de Sousa)

The start of construction of the multi-billion rand Gautrain rapid rail link between Johannesburg and Pretoria and Sandton and Johannesburg International Airport has been delayed until next year, as a result of the fact that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) took longer that anticipated.

According to the Business Day, the assessment took six months longer that planned because affected residents wanted more studies conducted on alternative routes, and on the project's environmental impact.
The newspaper said that the project was initially scheduled to begin in June, but is now expected to be delayed for six to nine months.

The completion date of the project is expected to be in 2010.

(Miguel de Sousa)

Cape Town is to fast-track its upgrade of the Company's Garden in the city centre, with visible improvements expected within the next two weeks. This according to the City of Cape Town 's official website.
"The Company's Garden is one of the most valuable historic urban parks in South Africa . Its gradual decay over the last few decades has now reached critical levels and the City of Cape Town has embarked on a holistic approach to revitalise this asset as part of a long term strategy for the central city," says Nomsa Mlanjeni, mayor committee member for health, amenities and sport.

According to Christa le Roux, director of open space and nature conservation, eight extra gardeners and four private security guards have been appointed and R50 000 has been allocated for landscaping services

(Miguel de Sousa)

DEAT minister, Mohammed Valli Moosa was given 7/10 for his performance in running the affairs of the environment and tourism, despite controversies surrounding the proposed construction of a pebble bed modular reactor in the Western Cape and the Wild Coast toll road in the Eastern Cape.

Jo'burg's largest daily, ‘The Star' scored Moosa following a briefing by various ANC ministers last Thursday. It was also announced at the same briefing that the presidential inauguration and decade of democracy celebrations would cost the taxpayer R140m.

In its assessment of Moosa, the paper said: “He has steered the department in the correct path and has largely been praised by stakeholders for his work. He now needs the wisdom of Solomon as he decides between safeguarding the environment or supporting tourism in the Eastern Cape through the construction of the Wild Coast toll road.”

(Miguel de Sousa)

To date, in only nine months, a total of well over 75 000 Wild Cards have been sold by South African National Parks (SANParks), generating revenue of over R15m for the conservation agency while at the same time making entrance to South Africa's national parks more affordable.

On Wednesday, SANParks announced the re-introduction of the cash back rewards on its Wild Card.

The cash back rewards will be applicable to all Wild Card holders as well as all other Infinity card holders with effect from February 1, 2004 for the next six months only.

SANParks director of tourism, Glenn Phillips said the cash back rewards were re-introduced to add value to Wild Card holders in addition to the conservation fee concession that they are already entitled to.
“We also wanted to thank our very valuable members for their contribution to conservation in 2003,” said Phillips.

Phillips added that the funds raised would be used for the purchase of more land to aid the organisation's expansion programmes and to further help with the day to day management of wildlife.

The Wild Card offers visitors multiple entry into a park of their choice for a period of one year. South African residents and SADC nationals in possession of a Wild Card, enjoy free entry into parks for the validity of their card.

International visitors to South African national parks can also enjoy the benefits of cash back rewards through the International Wild Card which is available from all entrances to national parks throughout the country.

(Miguel de Sousa)

Britain's most respected travel trade newspaper, the Travel Trade Gazette or TTG has rated South Africa amongst its list of ‘hot' destinations for 2004.

In its December 22, 2003 edition, the TTG says that as far as anniversaries and events go in 2004, “the most noble anniversary will be for South Africa, still a youthful tourism destination, which celebrates its first decade of democracy.”

It says that plans are still being finalised, but events will be organised around the annual Indaba travel trade show in Durban in May, as well as on other significant dates on the SA calendar, such as Youth Day in June and National Women's Day in August.

Other hot event destinations for the year according to the TTG include: Portugal (Euro 2004 soccer tournament); Athens, Greece (Olympic Games); Barcelona, Spain (Dali year) and Lille (France) as well as Genoa in Italy which have been named European Capitals of Culture this year.

(Andre Snyman)

How this works.

Travel Buddy has set up support groups throughout South Africa using eblockwatch members as its backbone.

These support groups are extracted from over 15000 South Africans who have registered with  www.eblockwatch.co.za  to fight crime.     On eblockwatch's   data is  a network of dedicated Police,  Police reservists, Security companies,  Neighbourhood watches ,   Farm watches , Rape Crisis groups, Hijack Units , Tourism Task Teams, etc .    Believe me, they are active and serious about safety and have networks in place to react to almost any mishap.    In some provinces we have a provincial team of high profile people who are able to start a chain reaction of support so impressive that the tourists focus on all the goodwill shown instead of the incident.

The above guys take care of security.

Through our network we can activate these groups via SMS within minutes and can look after tourists professionally when things go wrong.   This cuts through red tape and turns potentially negative International publicity into positive heart - warming stories of how ordinary South Africans react to a tourist dilemma.   You cannot imagine just how far South Africans are prepared to go when asked to help.

This message is spreading to incoming tourists and they have been told to register with Travel Buddy. The stream is turning into a steady flow.   Travel Buddy does not want to concentrate on a service which projects a negative image of South Africa , so we are asking South Africans to help by showing them typical South African hospitality.   There are so many exciting people in South Africa who can really make tourists feel welcome and relaxed.

Now that Travel Buddy has established a security network for tourist, we are looking for a network of Travel Buddies to show them how and where to Shop, Stop, Rock and Drop.

What is a Travel Buddy?

To qualify as a Travel   Buddy there are a few criteria.

You have to be involved with the Tourism Industry, the owner of the business and knowledgeable about your area. You must be available for Tourist s to contact you for streetwise advice.

Registered with Travel Buddy.  www.travelbuddy.co.za (MAKE SURE YOU ENTER ALL YOUR DETAILS)

What does it cost you? 

Nothing! All Travel Buddy wants from you is to be hospitable to overseas visitors travelling through your area.   Travel Buddy has had requests from International Tourists registered with us for the above services.   Naturally we search our database to extract appropriate information.   Many of our members have received unexpected business and are sold on the concept of Travel Buddy. No commissions or fees are expected from our appointed Travel Buddies as they are helping us keep our tourists safe. As International Tourist register on travelbuddy website they may indicate if they require your service offered. An email will automatically be forwarded to you free of charge or commission.

Travel Buddy will advertise your services on our website and inform tourists who their Travel Buddy is as they pass through each area. Tourists will phone you if they need streetwise advice regarding your area. You will be their virtual host if required.

So if you are not boring please register here. Give me your details and what you do. If I like you, you will end up in the path of International Tourists.

Travel Buddy is not a travel agent and does not have a catch. It is just a “boer maak n plan” for the hell of it.

This project was nominated by the International Marketing Council (appointed to market South Africa Internationally)  this brand is a South Africa Ambassador.

So register now on www.travelbuddy.co.za if you not boring.

Please register all your International visitors, as we would love to entertain them.

Below are Extracts from a letter of endorsement from our lovely ,  energetic , very exciting and not for a moment boring , Cheryl Carolus, Chief Executive Officer from South African Tourism

A new mechanism to build tourism.

The Welcome Campaign has proved extremely successful in making South Africans aware of the value of tourism to the economy of our country.

One of the tangible projects inspired by the Welcome Campaign is called Travel Buddy.  It operates off a network of concerned and committed South Africans that has been built over a period of two years.  This is a national network, currently including over 11 000 South Africans and growing daily.  These people also operate a local crime alert service but the focus of Travel Buddy is to welcome and care for tourists in a very local manner typical of South African hospitality, thus ensuring that tourists enjoy a typically South African experience.

Even though the system operates quite informally at present, with no consistent marketing, there are some heart-warming stories of tourists who have had experiences they would never otherwise have enjoyed.  I am keen to encourage Travel Buddy to become a formal system with high-level alliances in the tourism industry.  Your organisation is an obvious target for this type of partnership and I see this as a potential business opportunity for you in adding value to the tourist experience.

I rely on your support and cooperation.

Best regards

Cheryl Carolus

November 2002 Edition