Moz to discuss safety of SA tourists
2010-04-13 08:11
Maputo - Mozambican authorities were expected to meet on Tuesday in Inhambane to discuss tourism safety measures after several attacks on South Africans in the country, a tourism organisation said on Monday.
"Following the recent attacks and robbery of visiting tourists in [the] Inhambane province, his excellency, the governor of Inhambane has called an urgent meeting with all tourism operators," said the Inhambane Tourism Association.
"We demand that something should be done," the association's president Erwin Jakes said.
"This is happening all over. This is nothing new. But it's new to us, the tourist industry."
The Inhambane province in southern Mozambique is a popular holiday spot for South Africans with its breathtaking scenery, with diving and surfing opportunities. Many South African tourism agencies also operate in the region.
South African Leon Scott, 51, and his family were attacked and robbed early on Sunday morning while on holiday at a resort in Morrumbene near Inhambane city, The Mercury newspaper reported on Monday.
Two armed men tied up Scott, his wife Vanetia, 44, their two young daughters and two nephews, Victor Khan, 22, and Bevil Mellem, 34.
They also tied up another South African couple and their two daughters, the resort's South African manager and his wife, workers and security guards. They stole an undisclosed amount of cash, electronic equipment, and a Toyota Land Cruiser. Police later found the car abandoned some distance from Morrumbene.
Last Monday another group of three families were attacked, assaulted and a woman raped in Chissibuca near Xai-Xai, Die Burger newspaper reported.
The modus operandi of the gangs was similar. The men were, however, separated from the women and locked in a bathroom, where the robbers tried to poison them with gas. They then raped one of the women and attempted to rape another.
- SAPA