Nestled in the tourist-loved Ingeli mountain range and surrounded by indigenous forests and several major rivers, the small agricultural town of Harding on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast wants to create a booming tourism and events sector to drive new jobs.
The region itself, affectionately known as the Hibiscus coast, was the first to propose a nudist beach called Mpenjati Nudist Beach, causing widespread condemnation from staunch traditionalists and conservatives who did not want the plan to see the light of day.
Native of the area and known broadcaster Irvin “DJ Amen” Sihlophe said he is on a mission to change the face of the semi-rural town, which lies 84km northwest of Port Shepstone, into a highly sought-after tourism destination.
Sihlophe is partnering up with uMuziwabantu municipality under the Ugu district and other emerging tourism operators.
“The initiative is my way of giving gratitude to the people who molded me into being the man I am today. Harding is a sleeping giant that should be woken up, because we must all contribute to reducing unemployment,” Sihlophe told Sunday World.
“But we must also make sure that indigenous people of the land benefit in the tourism value chain for real economic transformation to take effect.”
Not too many people will know that Amanda Dlamini, the former Banyana Banyana captain, is also from the area.
Sihlophe said events and indigenous tourism has a potential to create massive jobs for rural areas, explaining that they have planned a plethora of events for tourists during the festive season, to officially launch the sector that is expected to create hundreds of jobs for the hospitality industry.
He said accommodation facilities are already packed and that they have introduced the concept of home stays to allow locals to open their homes to visitors and benefit on the tourism spin-offs.
The initiative is centred around the Harding Summer Festival, which will see throngs of revelers from neighbouring provinces descending on the small town. The events will also be used to drive social cohesion in the area, which is home to various race groups.
Mxolisi Mndaweni, a tourism operator, said putting the area on the map is long overdue.
“Tourism is one of the areas which are growing on a substantial level, bringing millions into the provincial fiscus,” said Mndaweni.
“Black business people have not tapped into this sector, and we see initiatives of this nature to create a new generation of black tourism operators. We must inculcate a culture of creating jobs instead of being wrongly wired to look for jobs.”
Harding is also known for its breathtaking views of tall trees and forests, where baboons and monkeys can be seen walking about in the thick forests. It also has sandy beaches and a moderate climate.
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