The South African Parliament recently voted in favour of a motion to amend the country’s Constitution to allow expropriation of land without compensation, which has raised many concerns in the tourism industry. 

While the motion has sparked national debate, the government has assured all citizens, as well as the international community that the expropriation of land will be conducted in a manner that increases agricultural production, addresses the housing backlog, boosts economic growth and guarantees food security, said South African Tourism (SAT) in a statement. 

According to SAT, there is a strong view that the implementation of land reform will promote socio-economic development, resulting in further political stability and enhanced social cohesion. 

Septi Bukula, Founder of SEEZA Destination Network, a DMC powered by established tourism SMEs in South Africa through collaboration, says government has stressed that the process will be handled within the confines of the law and that it will not be done in a manner that jeopardises good security, and therefore, by implication, land investment. 

He elaborates: “Handled correctly, as I believe it will be, land reform could have a positive impact on tourism. There is a pressing need to make the country’s tourism industry more inclusive by opening up investment opportunities to new players, particularly SMEs.”

Bukula recently attended the Biodiversity Economy Indaba, where the issue of lack of access to land was underlined by emerging players in the biodiversity tourism industry. He says: “There’s a cry out there for access to land for productive tourism investment.”

James Vos, MP, Shadow Minister of Tourism, has a different take on the matter. He told Tourism Update that if the motion was passed it would send out the wrong message, placing the country’s brand at risk on the international stage.

Visitors select destinations that are seemingly safe, prosperous and stable. These are the core values, parallel to destination selection, explains Vos, who says the portrayal of these values is crucial, as it creates a positive image for tourism and trade in the country. Furthermore, the possibility of this land reform according to Vos, will create anxiety among travellers, if not already, as tourists start to question the level of safety in South Africa.

“We have done so well at positioning South Africa’s brand. This will impact on us from a tourism perspective,” concludes Vos.

Julian Asher, Founder of Timeless Africa, says the appointment of President Cyril Ramaphosa and the resignation of SA’s former President Jacob Zuma, both had a positive impact on SA’s brand. However, the land expropriation without compensation issue has had a negative impact. “It brings back memories of what happened in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe, and people worry about what will happen to SA if property rights are not respected.”

“Sections of the international community are concerned about land appropriation proposals, however I believe, if they took the government into their confidence, listened to and actually heard what is being repeatedly stressed by the government, they would have no reason to be concerned,” says Bukula.

He adds that communities and investors that use land productively will not be affected by the proposed land reform. “A real question needs to be asked given the country’s pressing need for investment to drive growth and employment creation. Should we accept a situation where large swathes of land lie unutilised?”

Bukula says a large portion of the land that might be taken is idle land that is already under government control. “Not all affected land is in private hands. Also, to extrapolate from this debate around land to suggest that all private property rights are now under threat, in my view, is deliberate scaremongering and unhelpful.”

SAT says the issue of land is important to South Africans, as many black South Africans were forcibly removed from their land during apartheid and that later generations still experience the effects of this dispossession, however it has no bearing on tourists and the country remains open for business.

“We continue to encourage and look forward to hosting travellers to our beaches, bush, and a host of amazing tourist attractions, while interacting with our warm, hospitable people,” read SAT’s statement on the matter.  

Bukula says: “As an emerging tourism entrepreneur and one who hears from other entrepreneurs, I fully support land reform that is done within the parameters of the country’s laws.”