We will have to wait three more weeks for the traffic light to change on our tourism fate with the UK after our biggest source of inbound tourists decided to keep the light red, this despite our dwindling Covid infections and rise in vaccinated.
But among the countries given respite were hard-hit Australia and Singapore, which recorded its highest number of cases over the last two days since lockdown in 2020. The UK’s restriction on South Africa comes as our government has been lobbying hard (maybe not hard enough) and the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association putting forward five compelling reasons why we should be removed from the red list.
Red status means Britons who travel to SA must endure 10 days of quarantine at a cost of £2,285 (R44,800) on their return, which has effectively killed the market, and is costing SA about R26m a day, according to the tourist industry.
Quoting the World Travel & Tourism Council, the Daily Maverick reports the loss of British tourism has already cost SA R2.4bn in lost revenue since it was put on the list in May.
Understandably, the move has caused outrage and the Tourism Business Council of SA has now called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene to avert lasting damage.
Beta the reason why we’re still on the list is gone! So, what else does the UK have against us?
Here’s a roundup of the world’s top and most interesting headlines:
SA Business
Thuli Madonsela calls for legislation to protect whistle-blowers to be expedited – Daily Maverick
5 tough questions for Eskom CEO André de Ruyter – TechCentral
A look at Cape Town’s new R900,000 micro-apartments – which are covered in plants – BusinessTech
Global Business
China plans tax crackdown on richest entertainers, including online influencers – SCMP
Elon Musk welcomes SpaceX crew home with $50m donation to charity – The Guardian
The City of London finally gets back to the office – Bloomberg
Markets
Gold down to more than five-week low as dollar strengthens – Investing.com
End of ‘super profits’? Shares of top medical glove maker fall as Covid-induced demand eases – CNBC
Cracks in the crypto utopia: How a surge of scams is exposing DeFi’s dark side – Digital Trends
Opinion/In-depth
Joining the Dots: Pravin Gordhan, Floyd Shivambu and the dodgy origins of the ‘Indian cabal’ narrative – Daily Maverick
Is Rain really worth as much as Telkom? – TechCentral
Work as we knew it has changed. Time to think beyond the wage – The Conversation
Video
From oil to uranium: commodity stocks are back on the march at Bell Direct – Bloomberg
Reusable rocket ship that can fly from earth to space several times a day completes 5 test flights – Cover Media
What are ‘15-minute cities’ and how will they change how we live, work and socialise? – Euronews
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