Cape Town – Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille says government has put measures in place to address safety concerns for tourists during the festive season, amid growing worries about crime in parts of South Africa.
According to Eyewitness News, de Lille made the remarks on 17 December 2025 while responding to questions about international travel advisories warning visitors to remain cautious when travelling in the country.
She said that additional personnel have been deployed at key points of entry to improve visibility and assist travellers.
“We regret the attack on any visitor, local or international,” de Lille said.
“The Department of Tourism made available about 202 tourism monitors to the Border Management Authority, and they are being deployed at various ports of entry.”
She added that some of the monitors were already active at OR Tambo International Airport. “Last week, we deployed 40 at OR Tambo. Safety is a concern for all of us,” she said.
The minister stressed that the focus is not on creating a separate police force for tourists, but rather ensuring broader safety for everyone in the country.
“We don’t have specific police that look after tourists and that’s not what we want. We want a safe South Africa,” she said, noting that crime affects both visitors and local communities.
“These travel advisories tell us as South Africans that we have to do more about crime in our country, because it is even affecting local South Africans.”
Meanwhile, as reported by News24, provincial governments and law-enforcement agencies have also intensified festive season safety operations, including increased patrols and roadblocks in popular tourist destinations such as the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
