Load shedding has been a thorn in the side of many South Africans, but it has become a major obstacle for the Western Cape as the tourism sector attempts to get back on its feet. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it countless travel bans and lockdowns, and the objective now is to attract foreign and domestic tourists to help boost a crippled tourism sector.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has indicated to legislature’s finance, economic opportunities and tourism standing committee that load shedding poses a significant threat to the possibility of meaningful economic recovery, as per IOL.
“The reputational harm it does to South Africa is quite great among tourists. It has safety impacts for tourists who are trying to walk around the city during times of load shedding and I really do think it had a deleterious effect on our tourism market.”
The Mayor had been answering questions from committee members, who were concerned about the challenges of tourism in the province.
The question posed had been from committee member Nomi Nkondlo (ANC) who had asked how the negative impact of the pandemic on international economies would affect the pricing and packaging of tourism products that were offered by the City of Cape Town Tourism.
However, remote workers may be the answer, says mayoral committee member for economic growth James Vos. According to Vos, innovation is the key to a successful recovery as a remote work visa category has been proposed as an attractive prospect for foreign nationals looking to work while enjoying the pleasantries of Cape Town.
Based on the City’s proposal, this could be an easy reality as the national government simply needs to amend section 11 of the Immigration Act, which focuses on an extension of visas beyond 90 days as digital nomads often stay beyond three months in one location.
While Cape Town residents still face the frustrations that come with load shedding, the City is looking to make this a distant reality. The City of Cape Town has opened its first round of procurement of power from independent power producers.
Speaking at the Solar Power Africa conference in Cape Town last week, Hill-Lewis expressed that over the coming months, the City will procure up to 300MW of renewable energy, which will largely come from solar photovoltaic plants.
This is an important step on a journey to making Cape Town the first load shedding-free city in the country, and the city will be leading the way in harnessing solar power to achieve an energy-secure future for South Africa and the continent, Hill-Lewis expressed.
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Picture: Cape {town} Etc Gallery