Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa confirms…
…that our skies must open up to grow tourism by Manny de Freitas MP – DA Shadow Minister of Tourism Error! Filename not specified. Date: 27 October 2020 Release: Immediate At the Tourism Portfolio Committee meeting this week the Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa (BARSA) confirmed that government’s handling of Covid-19 and the lockdown has placed South Africa in grave risk as Africa’s airline hub. The manner in which international tourism is being handled by the Ramaphosa administration has initiated a discussion amongst the international tourism industry that countries such as Namibia, Kenya and Ethiopia be considered as Africa’s travel […]
Continue readingDA wants Home Affairs Minister to clarify…
… revised tourism red list which is destroying tourism industry by Manny de Freitas MP – DA Shadow Minister of Tourism Date: 20 October 2020 Release: Immediate The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to the Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, to request clarity on the criteria used to draw up the red list comprising of countries South Africa considers as high risk for international travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We will also submit parliamentary questions in this regard. The Department of Home Affairs on Monday published a revised red list. The DA is of the view that the system […]
Continue readingCouncil collapses as ANC…
…won’t come clean on Covid Report Date: 7 October 2020 Release: Immediate City of Johannesburg Democratic Alliance Caucus Leader Cllr Leah Knott The ANC has proven yet again that it does not stand for accountability to the residents in Johannesburg when it refused to bring to Council a comprehensive report on Covid-expenditure and other relief measures taken during lockdown. In response the DA and EFF walked out of Council, and the ANC didn’t have enough of its own members to prevent the sitting from collapsing. Despite a Council resolution requiring detailed weekly reports, a PAIA application, direct questions to […]
Continue readingOpen letter to the Minister of No Tourism
Open letter to the Minister of No Tourism by Manny de Freitas MP – DA Shadow Minister of Tourism Date: 02 October 2020 Release: Immediate Dear Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, Although I was shocked, I was not surprised with your out-of-touch and oblivious comments made over the weekend during the International Tourism Day celebrations. You unbelievably stated that, “[looking] back at where tourism was two months ago, we have much to celebrate.”Perhaps you could tell us exactly what there is to celebrate? Because from what I have observed, there is precious little. Your statement that “travellers will prefer to travel to countries that offer […]
Continue readingANC’s shambolic reopening of SA’s borders….
…is killing desperately needed tourism by Manny de Freitas MP – DA Shadow Minister of Tourism Date: 04 October 2020 Release: Immediate The cancellation with immediate effect of key Emirates flights to South Africa comes as a direct result of national government’s shambolic management of the reopening of South Africa’s borders for leisure travel in a time when our tourism industry is in dire straits. Regulations published by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), which require airline crew to follow the same health protocol as passengers upon arrival to South Africa, are completely illogical considering the stringent measures […]
Continue readingTourism red-list as irrational…
…as other Covid-19 lockdown regulations by Manny de Freitas MP – DA Shadow Minister of Tourism Date: 01 October 2020 Release: Immediate The Democratic Alliance (DA) supports the Western Cape government’s decision to engage with the Minister of no Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, and President Cyril Ramaphosa on the list of countries that are allowed to travel to South Africa. The DA is of the view that the list in its current form is utterly ridiculous. For example, tourists who have tested negative for Covid-19 and have downloaded government’s tracing app should not be considered a health risk and be discriminated against because they happen […]
Continue readingR80m CoJ Covid tender fraud just the tip of the iceberg
R80m CoJ Covid tender fraud just the tip of the iceberg Democratic Alliance City of Johannesburg Media Statement City of Johannesburg Democratic Alliance Caucus Leader Cllr Leah Knott Date: 30 September 2020 Release: Immediate It comes as no surprise to anyone of the report by ENCA of over R80m in tender fraud relating to expenditure on Covid-19 by the City of Johannesburg. Preliminary reports from internal audits put the total expenditure at over R600m (as of 17 July 2020), of which over R400m (70%) has been flagged as highly suspicious. To date there has been no comprehensive report presented to […]
Continue readingGovernments inaction on Tourism could…
…nullify Cape Town’s World Travel Awards nominations by Manny de Freitas MP – DA Shadow Minister of Tourism Date: 15 September 2020 Release: Immediate The Democratic Alliance (DA) will once again write to the Minister of No Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, to request confirmation on when government will reopen the tourism sector for international travel. This is in light of the City of Cape Town being nominated for the prestigious World Travel Awards 2020 for no-less than five categories. The DA is concerned that the government’s inaction on international travel could potentially nullify Cape Town’s chances of obtaining these World Travel Awards. […]
Continue readingThe DA is a better government…
…and it can be one in Joburg by Manny de Freitas MP DA Political Head for Johannesburg South Constituency Date: 06 September 2020 Release: Immediate Note to editors: The following remarks were delivered today by Democratic Alliance (DA) Political Head for Johannesburg South, Manny de Freitas, during the State of the Ward Address for ward 56 Public Meeting. 13 years in the dark This State of Ward 56 Address comes 13 years after load-shedding started in South Africa thanks to the ANC government’s mismanagement, maladministration and corruption. The ANC successfully turned Eskom, one of the top utilities in the world and […]
Continue readingHospitals
We caught up with DA Shadow Minister for Health, Siviwe Gwarube, who has been relentlessly travelling around the country, visiting rural hospitals to make sure that where there are issues with their ability to respond to the coronavirus, they are reported and plans of action are devised. Certainly not a job for the faint hearted. The reality is that our health system is broken. And has been for decades. Every challenge I encountered along the way highlighted that very issue. Tell us a bit about the idea behind the oversight visits? Are there particular things you’re concerned about that are […]
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