WORLDVIEW: Will crime crush SA tourism?

In countries with thriving tourism sectors, there is a simple compact between businesses and the state: you keep 'em safe and we'll keep 'em spending. Everybody wins.

So, while it can be argued that the fake cops who hijacked and robbed a busload of tourists in Jo'burg last week did irreparable damage to the economy, it is perhaps more accurate to say the government is the real saboteur.

By allowing security to slip to a point where South Africa is virtually synonymous with violent crime, the state has not only allowed its own citizens to live in fear but it has also created a situation where crucial, job-creating industries like tourism are being put at risk.

___STEADY_PAYWALL___