South Africa’s tourism minister insists the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is no threat to tourism in her country.
The was responding to a British newspaper report that at least 1 500 Thai tourists have cancelled their trips to South Africa this month and next.
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Communications minister Faith Muthambi reiterates that South Africa remains the destination of choice for tourism.
She says no cases of the Ebola virus have been reported in South Africa where the government is confident of the systems and protocols that are in place to address any incidence of the virus.
Muthambi says it’s unfortunate that the Times of London would choose to report that a handful of tourists cancelled their trip due to fears, which according to the report are based on erroneous facts about the virus.
Muthambi says the risk of Ebola being introduced into South Africa are low and the tourism industry remains vibrant and lucrative.
The virus has devastated countries in West Africa with the death toll standing at 1145. Liberia has the highest death toll in the epidemic since the start of the year.
The minister says as a sought-after destination, South Africa reiterates that it has ensured that stringent measures have been put in place.
The surveillance for viral haemorrhagic fevers has been strengthened at ports of entry.
No Ebola threat to tourists in South Africa
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Jean-Jacques Cornish is a journalist and broadcaster who has been involved in the media all his adult life.
Starting as a reporter on his hometown newspaper, he moved briefly to then Rhodesia before returning to South Africa to become a parliamentary correspondent with the South African Press Association. He was sent to London as Sapa’s London editor and also served as special correspondent to the United Nations. He joined the then Argus group in London as political correspondent.
Returning to South Africa after 12 years abroad, he was assistant editor on the Pretoria News for a decade before becoming editor of the Star and SA Times for five years.
Since 1999 he’s been an independent journalist writing and broadcasting – mainly about Africa – for Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape
Talk, Radio France International, PressTV, Radio Live New Zealand, Business Day, Mail & Guardian, the BBC, Agence France Press,
Business in Africa, Leadership, India Today, the South African Institute for International Affairs and the Institute for Security Studies.
He has hosted current affairs talk shows on Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk. He appears as an African affairs pundit on SABC Africa and CNBC Africa.
He lectured in contemporary studies to journalism students at the Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Pretoria.
He speaks on African affairs to corporate and other audiences.
He has been officially invited as a journalist to more than 30 countries. He was the winner of the 2007 SADC award for radio journalism.
He’s been a member of the EISA team observing elections in Somaliland, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Egypt and Tunsiai.
In October 2009 he headed a group of 39 African journalists to the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Peoples’ Republic of China.
In January 2010 he joined a rescue and paramedical team to earthquake struck Haiti.
He is immediate past president of the Alliance Francaise of Pretoria.
Jean-Jacques is a director of Giant Media. The company was given access to Nelson Mandela in his retirement years until 2009.
He is co-producer of the hour-long documentary Mandela at 90 that was broadcast on BBC in January 2009.
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