What was meant to be a fun-filled long weekend in the scenic KwaZulu-Natal has turned into a damper for many who wanted to travel to the province, resulting in a great loss for the tourism and entertainment industries.
Just as it was starting to recover from the losses experienced during Covid-19 hard lockdowns, KwaZulu-Natal was hit by the July unrests last year. And on Monday, floods wreaked havoc, resulting in the deaths of over 300 people.
Now the industries that were barely surviving are once again struggling.
Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu shared on Wednesday during a meeting with stakeholders that the floods have caused damaged estimated at R30-million, with a gross domestic products loss of R74-million and 155 short-term job losses.
“The province had anticipated that there would be 366 503 visitors who would spend approximately R1.2-billion over the Easter period. Even though King Shaka International Airport experienced water damages in parts of the terminal, there was no disturbance to operations and flights are operating as scheduled,” said Sisulu.
Some airlines have allowed passengers to cancel trips to and from Durban and get a full refund, while others announced that they can postpone their trips at no cost.
Sisulu said the KwaZulu-Natal’s world-famous beaches are filled with garbage and many will be closed over the Easter weekend, while 10 B&Bs in the Ugu area have since recorded cancellations. Entertainment shows and events in Durban have also been cancelled.
Businessman DJ Shimza announced that his Kunye Festival, scheduled to be held in Durban on Saturday, has been postponed.
“We are deeply concerned with the situation in KZN and we know how bad an affect the floods have had on lives, roads, and property. It’s heartbreaking,” said Shimza.
“We’ve decided to postpone this Saturday’s Kunye in KZN to a later date. We wanted to come out with clear ways of refunds and a new date, hence we’ve been quiet, but for now the show will be postponed and all tickets will remain valid.”
Before twitter gets excited and pull out tweets from Days ago on Saturdays event, we’ve decided to postpone this Saturdays KUNYE in KZN to a later date, we wanted to come out with clear ways of refunds and a new date hence we’ve been quiet but for now the show will be postponed.
— SHIMZA (@Shimza01) April 13, 2022
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