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A water tanker in Phuthaditjhaba, Free State. The province's lack of reliable services is scuppering the tourism industry. File photo (Delwyn Verasamy)
The Free State’s ambition to boost its tourism sector — on which many households depend — is being undermined by local municipalities’ inability to deliver services, recently appointed MEC for finance, economic development and tourism, Toto Makume, said.
“Whether we like it or not, you can’t have a tourist who is visiting an area and the following day he or she can’t take a bath because either the water is cold or there’s no water at all,” he said.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a question-and-answer session with journalists in Parys last Friday.
In addition to failing to provide reliable electricity and water, municipalities were not cleaning their towns, making it difficult for his department to encourage tourists to visit the province, Makume said.
“[Municipalities must] focus on what are the basic needs that their communities and the tourists will enjoy them, but also the people who are going to invest in those areas,” he said.
The Free State is one of South Africa‘s hidden gems, boasting five travel routes — the cheetah, lion, flamingo, springbok and eagle routes — the last of which the Mail & Guardian visited recently.
The eagle route is known for its scenic beauty, rich history and heritage, as well as leisure and adventure tourism.
It includes Clarens, a popular weekend destination known for its fine arts; Ficksburg, the cherry capital and towns like Phuthaditjhaba, which was the capital of the former homeland, Qwaqwa.
The route also offers spectacular mountain views, horse riding, quad biking, zip lining and ideal areas for outdoor lovers, but the poor quality of services means that it cannot be fully exploited.
The owners of lodges and guest houses in the area, which falls under the Maluti-a-Phofung municipality — one of the worst performing in the province — have raised concerns about the difficulties in trying to sustain their businesses.
One lodge owner, who asked not to be named, said in some instances businesses have to buy water to fill their storage tanks because the municipality fails to provide them with a constant supply.
“You pay about R800 for 5 000 litres, and you also need to get a connection to get the water. Sometimes you wish for the rain because that way you can fill the tanks.”
They also had to spend R10 000 over a weekend for diesel to run a generator when there is no electricity.
“This is a loss because, if you get a place to sleep for R700, you are not guaranteed that the entire place will be filled with guests. The generator is expensive to run.”
Makume, however, said there was an agreement with Eskom to fix the electricity crisis in Maluti-a-Phofung.
“The department of Cogta [cooperative governance and traditional affairs], human settlements and our department, through the treasury, need to work out a plan in which Eskom will help us to fix the problem in relation to electricity,” Makume said.
“In relation to water, the new entity board that is dealing with water is already on site and the department of water and sanitation affairs are also on site to fix problems.”
This journalist’s trip to the Free State was sponsored by the Free State Gambling, Liquor and Tourism Authority.
