
The Minister of Tourism Honourable Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane spent 24 hours in Franschhoek on Thursday, 18 March 2021, as part of an outreach programme to engage with stakeholders.
Her programme started with a presentation from Jeremy Davids at the Franschhoek Hospitality Academy which is currently training 20 students to ready them for employment in Franschhoek’s hospitality businesses. The Minister was delighted to see a homegrown and funded initiative prospering. She undertook to help the Hospitality Academy gain national accreditation which will open up access to state funding.
Next on her tour was a visit to the Huguenot Memorial Museum and Monument, Franschhoek’s most visited destination, where she was impressed by the Perfume Museum and fascinated to see the successes of descendants of the original Huguenots.
Reghard Goussard, Chairman of the Franschhoek Development Initiative presented the R1 billion integrated zip line and tourism project planned for the lands around the Berg River Dam. Minister Kubayi-Ngubane was impressed with the scale of the project which will transform the area around the Berg River Dam.
The Minister participated in a roundtable over lunch at GlenWood Vineyards discussing the future of wine tourism in Franschhoek before travelling on the Franschhoek Wine Tram to understand the importance of the tram to wine tourism in Franschhoek.
Minister then conducted a walkabout through the middle of Franschhoek engaging with Franschhoek business owners and residents. She visited the market traders in the new facility next to the municipal offices before heading to the ManzArt Gallery where she admired the collection of contemporary South African art before ending her tour at Huguenot Fine Chocolates.
The Minister’s stay ended with dinner at Foliage specially prepared by Chef Chris Erasmus who served his presentation of locally picked “chicken of the woods” mushrooms. Dinner was attended by a selection of tourism business owners who engaged with the minister about the issues COVID has created for Franschhoek’s tourist industry. The Minister was particularly impressed by the solidarity shown by the Franschhoek community in the size of its feeding programmes during lockdown.
Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Huguenot Museum