Das neue Südafrika

Eldo,

diejenigen Jugendlichen, die gestern im Schnellverfahren zu dutzenden

verurteilt wurden, sind garantiert keine Täter gewesen.

Das waren Muttersöhnchen, die auf dem Trottoir mal geguckt haben.

Die hat die Poizei eingesammelt, das war ein schneller Erfolg

und die Polzisten kamen heil nach Hause.


Aber die werden im Gefängnis hochmotiviert werden.


Der Fisch stinkt vom Kopf und heißt Chirak, Schröder, Blair....

Ist jedenfalls meine Erfahrung.


gruss

Tambok

Gehoert zwar nicht zu RSA, egal... wer sich aufregt ist selber schuld.

Careful consideration needed

The German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said in its Wednesday edition that France's experience required careful consideration in the rest of Europe.

"If the thesis that the French model of integration has failed is right, then everyone must ask where is there in comparable circumstances a model that has succeeded," it said.

Italian interior minister Giuseppe Pisanu said the real danger in his country came not from the suburbs as in France "but from terrorism organised crime, internal subversion, clandestine immigration and illegality".

However, opposition leader Romano Prodi said earlier that an explosion in Italian suburbs was inevitable.

"We have the worst suburbs in Europe," he said. "We should not think that we are all that different from Paris. It is only a matter of time."

An issue of great importance

Many Arab newspapers also feared that the "French fire" was threatening to spread across Europe, noting incidents in Belgium and Germany which also have large Arab and Muslim immigrant communities.

"We give great importance to this issue because it may spread across Europe and affect the (Arab and Muslim) region," said Ahmad Sheikh, editor-in-chief of Al-Jazeera satellite channel.

In Copenhagen, Peter Skaarup, a spokesperson for the Danish People's Party linked the French situation with recent vandalism in Denmark.

Last month, dozens of teenagers of mainly immigrant origin damaged cars, vandalised a shopping centre, destroyed a food stall and attempted to burn down a children's nursery during four nights of disturbances in the Rosenhoej neighbourhood of Aarhus, northwestern Denmark.

Ich bin mir sicher das die Franzosen haerter vorgehen als die Deutschen falls die in solche Situation kommen sollten.
Der Innenminister in Frankreich fackelt da nicht lange.
Den Deutschen sind die Haende gebunden, sonst heisst es wieder,..ihr wisst schon was.

Mfg

XAX

@ Tambok

""diejenigen Jugendlichen, die gestern im Schnellverfahren zu dutzenden verurteilt wurden, sind garantiert keine Täter gewesen.""

Wo Rauch ist da ist Feuer, mitgehangen, mitgefangen.
Beim Ausnahmezustand und Ausgangssperre bleibt der gute Buerger zu Hause, wer draussen erwischt wird, selbst als Zuschauer ist selber Schuld.

""Der Fisch stinkt vom Kopf und heißt Chirak, Schröder, Blair und Bush ""....

Ist jedenfalls auch meine Erfahrung.

Gruss

XAX

Metalldiebe plündern Friedhöfe in Südafrika

Nach Brückengeländern, Denkmälern und Kabeln geraten in Südafrika auch Grabkreuze ins Visier von Metalldieben. Dutzende Friedhöfe wurden in dem Kap-Staat geplündert, berichtete die Zeitung "The Citizen". Eiserne Grabkreuze und Denkmäler von im Ersten und Zweiten Weltkrieg und dem Burenkrieg (1899-1902) gefallenen Soldaten seien abgesägt worden. Metall-Diebe sind in Südafrika auf der Suche nach Eisen, Messing, Kupfer, Bronze und Aluminium. Sie verursachen nach einer offiziellen Erhebung jedes Jahr Schäden in Millionenhöhe. dpa

Train torchings cost Metrorail R200m

Reesha Chibba and Sapa | Johannesburg, South Africa

10 November 2005 10:15

The latest wave of train torchings has cost Metrorail an estimated R200-million, leaving the company with no more trains to run between Gauteng's Midway and Vereeniging stations, spokesperson Thandi Mlangeni said on Thursday.

"It has cost us in the region of R200-million," Mlangeni said as crews cleared up the gutted remains of at least 28 coaches torched between Soweto and Vereeniging on Wednesday night.

Commuters upset over train delays set 28 coaches alight on Wednesday evening at the Midway and Nancefield stations.

On Tuesday, four carriages were burnt out at Residentia station in Vereeniging by people also frustrated by delays, this time caused by cable theft.

This means that the company does not have any trains to run between Midway and Vereeniging.

"We are shocked, and condemn it in the strongest possible terms. We understand that to be angry is anybody's right, but it is irresponsible to burn trains and to burn public assets," Mlangeni told the South African Press Association.

She told the Mail & Guardian Online: "There is no amount of anger that justifies the torching of the trains. Passengers only waited for 20 minutes. One doesn't really know what their motive is."

Mlangeni said many people become frustrated every day in traffic and with taxis, but no one jumps out of their car to torch them.

"That doesn't happen," she said.

Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin on Thursday condemned the attacks.

"The minister has described these incidents as totally unacceptable and warned that such behaviour will not be tolerated," public enterprises spokesperson Gaynor Kast said.

Collen Msibi, the national spokesperson for the Department of Transport, told the M&G Online that his department also condemns the attacks.

Msibi added that the department understands that commuters are frustrated in terms of delays, but that "the law must take its course".

"Even the Cabinet has said it's going to act quite harshly towards people who are involved in these kinds of things," he said.

Technical fault
Mlangeni explained that there was a technical fault in Midway, which affected signals, and trains could not move, causing a 20-minute delay.

"We could not move those trains, otherwise we would put the commuters' lives in danger. Passengers started getting off the train and burning it."

This had a knock-on effect, causing delays in Kliptown and Nancefield.

"And passengers torched those trains," Mlangeni continued.

There is no public address system inside the trains to inform commuters of developments. But, said Mlangeni, "even then we don't think that [action] is justified".

Security was present at stations around Gauteng on Thursday and, said Mlangeni, the South African Police Service and the metro police have been very supportive.

Soweto police spokesperson Captain Mbazima Shiburi said police there are on standby.

"Nothing is happening now, but we are on standby. We are a stone's throw away from the area," he said.

Transnet, the company that owns Metrorail, joined the growing condemnation of the torching of R200-million-worth of trains.

"We are seriously disturbed by it and condemn it," spokesperson John Dludlu said. "We regret the effect of the delay on commuters and are quite aware that some people are losing their jobs. We fail to see how this [burning a train] can help.

"We think it is totally unacceptable and would like to urge the public to cooperate ... by condemning these acts as well and to cooperate with the law-enforcement agencies to find these people."

Company executives were meeting on Thursday to address the situation and were working with police and other law-enforcement agencies.

"We will take steps necessary to make sure the offenders are brought to book and, to improve security."

Appeal for support
Metrorail Wits regional manager Salani Sithole appealed for the support of community leaders and business partners "while the public rail system is under threat" and said employers should take note of the effects on their workers.

Sithole said Metrorail will work round the clock to repair overhead cables, signals and communication lines.

"During this time of repairs, Metrorail calls upon its loyal commuters to cooperate with us and use alternative means of public transport," he said.

The company will assist by operating a shuttle service between Suurbekom and Oberholzer, from where a normal train service will be operational via Randfontein.

After Midway station, the line splits to head for either Vereeniging or Westonaria.

Commuters who witnessed the acts have been urged to come forward and assist police with their investigations.

TOP STORY

‘High-risk Gautrain could be white elephant’

Government is understood to be deeply divided over the Gautrain project, with transport department officials arguing that the investment could be better used to revamp the entire public transport system.
It has been said that government is concerned about some of the publicity surrounding the project, in particular whether it is worth its price tag.
The delay in the start of the project has seen a sizeable increase in costs, with the bulk of the money coming from grants from the national treasury and not from Gauteng.
The project has received the cabinet’s conditional support, but it still needs final approval.

Gautrain may miss SA’s 2010 World Cup kickoff
Gautrain hits R20bn storm
Court dismisses Gautrain BEE hopefuls

Oder wenn die Vorhaut nicht mehr vorhaut...

Three traditional surgeons arrested

12/11/2005 19:19

Johannesburg - Police have arrested three illegal traditional surgeons in the Eastern Cape since late last week, Department of Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said on Saturday.
"Illegal traditional surgeons caught circumcising underage boys will feel the full might of the law," he said.

"We are taking a no-nonsense approach to them."

He said the department and the police were clamping down on illegal circumcisions after the deaths of 23 boys in the June-July circumcision season in the Eastern Cape....... (Zipfel Saison)

The department had already had meetings with the provincial police commissioner "to discuss strategies".

"We are also approaching the Minister of Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions with the aim of making sure that if an illegal surgeon is arrested, he stays in jail until the end of the season."

The penalties, in terms of the Traditional Circumcision Act No 6 of 2001, were one to 15 years in jail or a R1 000 to R15 000 fine.

"Since the Act came in, we have successfully convicted and sentenced 31 illegal traditional surgeons and nurses, out of 63 charged," he said.

Health MEC Bevan Goqwana would be "busy like a bee" during the November-December circumcision season, "focusing for the whole of December on the circumcision thing".

Helicopters, 4x4s on standby

"We have three helicopters and 400 4x4s on standby," he said. Kupelo said illegal surgeons would find they had "no place to hide".

>>>( bei uns kommt kein Schwein wenn jemand einbricht oder ueberfallen wird)

"We are taking no chances. We rush in, investigate and take the person to police. We have to try by all means to avoid these deaths. We want to stop them once and for all. It is zero tolerance and we are armed to the teeth."

The department would employ 400 medical officers, 400 hired 4x4s and three helicopters in its bid to stop circumcision deaths.

"It costs a lot to treat an initiate in hospital - about R700 a day. From 1995 to date, we estimate it has cost more than R10m to keep initiates in hospital."

He said the 400 medical officers would examine and treat the boys in the bush, and take them to hospital only if they were in a serious condition.

There was no budget to build wards for initiates, and hospitals were suffering "severe shortages", he said.

Kupelo said the department had rescued about 5 000 boys during the June-July season.

"(A total) of 250 would have died if they had not got to hospital. As it is, five of them lost their manhood. Their penises were amputated because they were gangrenous. It is very serious".

He said more than 400 traditional surgeons had registered their practices since 2004 in terms of the Traditional Circumcision Act No 6 of 2001.

The Act also required that surgeons keep records of the boys, and get their parents' permission.

Mal was zu den wirtschaftlichen Aussichten aus neutraler Ecke, interessiert hier vielleicht auch einige Leser.

Aus „Credit Suisse – Investment Ideas vom 9.11.2005"

Südafrika: solides Wachstum und angemessene Bewertungen – Neutral

Die südafrikanische Wirtschaft hat im 2. Quartal mit einer annualisierten Rate von 4.6% expandiert und dürfte in den nächsten 2–3 Jahren weiterhin ein Wachstum von über 4.0% verzeichnen. Die Regierung plant eine Erhöhung der Infrastrukturausgaben insbesondere für Hafenanlagen, Eisenbahnen und Stromnetze, um Kapazitätsengpässe zu beseitigen.
Zudem soll die Konjunktur stimuliert werden, um die nach wie vor hohe Arbeitslosigkeit – gemäss inoffiziellen Angaben liegt sie immer noch im Bereich von 40% – reduzieren zu können. Gleichzeitig will die südafrikanische Regierung das Haushaltsdefizit senken; für das Haushaltsjahr 2005/06 wird ein Fehlbetrag von lediglich 1% des BIP anvisiert. Die für südafrikanische Banken geltenden Einschränkungen des Kapitalverkehrs und der Währungstransaktionen werden
teilweise aufgehoben. Über den aktuellen Entwurf des umstrittenen «Mineral & Petroleum Royalty»-Gesetzes, welches
die Einführung einer Steuer in Höhe von 3–8% der Gewinne der Bergbauunternehmen vorsieht, wird nach wie vor debattiert.

Südafrika erfreut sich solider Wachstumsperspektiven, und die Regierungspolitik erscheint uns vernünftig. Infolge seiner natürlichen Ressourcen wird das Land zudem mittelfristig zu den Gewinnern der hohen Rohstoffnachfrage aus China gehören. Das P/E 2006E des Marktes beträgt zwar nur 10.5, aber das Ertragswachstum kühlt sich ab. Wir gewichten den südafrikanischen Markt deshalb neutral.

Wachstum von über 4.0% verzeichnen, die Kriminalitaet auf jeden Fall, wenn nicht mehr.

Warten, warten auf den schwachen Rand ??

Na dann wartet mal weiter bei solchen guten Nachrichten von CS..

Gruss

XAX

@ Aladin

Du musst schon mal unterscheiden zwischen deinen anscheinend vorhandenen persönlichen Problemen (die hier vielleicht nicht alle interessieren) -
und den nicht abstreitbaren (da nachweisbaren) wirtschaftlichen Fortschritten in Südafrika, die sich letztlich auch auf die Goldminenaktien auswirken werden -
darüber zu berichten und zu diskutieren ist wohl auch Sinn dieses Bords.

Gruß aus Kapstadt
Kuddel

Kuddel

Ich habe bestimmt keinen Bock mit Dir darueber zu streiten,ich lebe hier und du lebst dort. Meine Ansicht wird im uebrigen von vielen Menschen hier die ich kenne ebenso vertreten.Jeder hat seine persoenliche Probleme, auch du. Viele haben die selben, erst dann wenn sie alle die selben haben interessieren sie sich dann alle dafuer. Das trifft auch fur Deutschland zu.

Die Zukunft wird es zeigen wie es weiter geht mit diesen Land.
Du bist vielleicht ein Mensch der alles glaubt was gedruckt wird, ich bin es jedenfalls nicht. Die Zahlen die da verbreitet werden koennten falsch sein im Interesse von weiss ich was und wen.

Was soll da gut fuer die Minen sein wenn der Rand stark bleibt ???

Ihr koennt ja zwischen den Zeilen lesen, zumindest habt ihr mehr Information was RSA angeht und das ist der Sinn der Sache warum ich ueberhaupt meine Kommentare dazu schreibe.

Eigentlich solltest du/ihr mir dafuer dankbar sein die Zeit dafuer aufzuwenden. Es hoert sich anders an.

Ich kann auch anders, dieses Thema geht mir eh schon auf den Sack.

Wer es jetzt noch nicht kapiert hat was hier los ist den kann ich auch nicht helfen.

Bei Euch gehts dann eben Bergab und bei uns Bergauf.

Am besten ihr siedelt um nach RSA.

Feel it for yourself !

Gruss, nichts fuer ungut Kuddel.

Aladin

Hauptsache es geht Dir gut !

Joe Slovo fire leaves hundreds homeless

Johannesburg, South Africa


13 November 2005 07:41

About 100 families were affected when their shacks were destroyed in a fire that swept through the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Johannesburg on Saturday night.

Bronwen Jones, director of the Children of Fire Trust, said the fire broke out at about 10.45pm in the camp, which is home to about 8 000 people.

"How must I find the strength to start all over again?" said James Phosa, a resident who was injured when the same area was razed to the ground in 2001.

Jones said in a statement on Sunday morning that fire engines arrived fairly quickly, but the community members -- many of whom Children of Fire had trained in fire fighting -- took the hoses from the emergency services and fought the fire themselves.

She said hoses were damaged by the sharp edges of corrugated-iron sheeting, causing water to come out of the torn hoses instead of the nozzle.

"Other people grabbed buckets, but the water pressure from the few taps in the community is so low that it took precious minutes to fill just one bucket, all the times [with] the flames moving closer and acrid choking smoke filling the air."

Children of Fire's firefighting water tank in the community had not been refilled by Brixton fire brigade.

No one sustained serious injuries, although some people suffered from smoke inhalation and others cut their hands when pulling shacks down to make a fire break and prevent the fire from spreading.

"A few people managed to pull out washing tubs full of clothes, but mostly they did not have time even to put on their shoes.

"Susan, a girl aged 13, stood barefoot in the mud and ashes. She said that her school shoes, size six, were burned," said Jones.

The fire died down at about 1am, but Jones said it was possible the wind could fan the glowing embers and start the fire again.

Mothers with infants are in need of baby milk formula, bottles and other baby food. Mothers who are HIV-positive lost all their anti-retrovirals in the blaze.

"A large number of adults have lost their IDs, their matric certificates, their blue cards for the UIF [Unemployment Insurance Fund] and need help with letters and hopefully sympathy from [the Department of] Home Affairs, as they try to get documents replaced," said Jones.

Community members took in friends and neighbours to share the space in their cramped shacks for the final few hours of the night.

She said Children of Fire would return to the camp on Sunday. -- Sapa

One week sees seventyfive murders in South Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

12 November 2005 8.45am

In just one week, police reported 75 murders in South Africa, with the most gruesome case being that of a North West father who wiped out his entire family.

Inspector Thabo Makhafola said the man, from Madikwe's Lethlakeng village in North West, had been a security guard at a mine in the area.

He opened fire on his family on Sunday afternoon after an argument with his wife, killing her and three other members of the family including his month-old baby before turning his Norinco pistol on himself.

Also on Sunday, three men were found burned to death at a railway station in Nyanga, Cape Town. Another man was found dead on the same day on a train bound for Boksburg on the East Rand.

A police officer was killed this week while on duty in Soshanguve near Pretoria. Captain Daniel Kwatamela Morakaladi was interviewing a witness in an inquest case in Soshanguve on Tuesday evening when he was shot dead by robbers. They shot him several times in the upper body and escaped with his service pistol and police car.

On Thursday morning, Limpopo police reported that a 39-year-old mother of two was killed by robbers at her home in Polokwane.

Other murders include that of 62-year-old woman who was killed by her husband who then committed suicide in Hebron north of Pretoria on Thursday, a man stabbed to death in Fichardtpark near Bloemfontein and another one in Thabong, Welkom, in the Free State.

A 28-year-old man in Luitzburg at Kakamas near Upington was stabbed to death on Sunday, allegedly by his girlfriend's father after an argument.

A body of man was also found partly decomposed in Delft near Bellville, Western Cape on Thursday.

According to crime statistics from April 1, 2003 to March 31, 2004, about 600 people were killed in South Africa every week.

The South African Police Service said murder had decreased by eight percent from 21 553 people killed in 2003 to 19 824 in 2004.

2005 ??????

On Friday, crime statistics at station level representing trends in the various areas were made available on the SA Police Service website.

Residents will from now on be able to log on to http://www.saps.gov.za to keep track of criminal activities in their neighbourhood. - Sapa

@ Aladin

Woher willst du wissen, wo ich lebe ???

Mir geht es nur darum:
das Forum ist dazu da, Informationen und Meinungen über Gold, Rohstoffe, Minengesellschaften auszutauschen. Und solche Informationen suche ich hier und versuche, auch solche zu geben.

Mich persönlich interessiert es überhaupt nicht, ob da irgendwo in SA Grabkreuze abgesägt und verscherbelt werden und ob dein Freund überfallen wurde oder nicht. Das hat keine Bedeutung für Gold, Silber, etc.. Mach doch dafür einen eigenen Beitrag, den muss man dann nicht erst öffnen.

Mich interessiert, ob ich in SA-Minengesellschaften investieren kann oder besser die Finger davon lassen sollte. Dazu sind mir Informationen über Minen und Wirtschaft in SA nützlich, aber keine Berichte über irgendwelche Überfälle, usw.
Deshalb sind mir Wirtschafts- und Politikinformationen wichtig, die einen kurz- bis langfristigen Einfluss auf Goldminen haben könnten, um mir meine Meinung zu bilden. Warum sollte die CS Zahlen veröffentlichen, die falsch sind, sind doch nachprüfbar!

Ich könnte mir vorstellen, dass beispielsweise die Kriminalstatistik in Venezuela auch nicht besonders gut ausschaut - warum bringst du die nicht auch noch?? Da bist du doch wohl investiert ??

Lass doch deinen Frust über SA woanders ab und gib uns Beiträge über Gold und Minen, die hast du doch auch !!

Kuddel

PS:
Es würde mich auch mal interessieren, wie andere darüber denken.

Kuddel

Du lebst nicht hier, das kann ich Dir sagen, warst mal auf Besuch, das wars aber schon.
Wer die gesamte Lage hier kennt versteht die Zukunft besser die auch die Minen betrifft..

Zitat Kuddel:

""Mich persönlich interessiert es überhaupt nicht, ob da irgendwo in SA Grabkreuze abgesägt und verscherbelt werden und ob dein Freund überfallen wurde oder nicht""

""Mich interessiert, ob ich in SA-Minengesellschaften investieren kann oder besser die Finger davon lassen sollte. ""

Dir rate ich dein ganzes Geld in RSA Minen zu stecken, und vergiss bitte nicht wenn dir andere Menschen egal sind mit deiner Einstellung...

@ Aladin

Sag ich doch, Frust ....

@ Kuddle

Wer hier frustriert ist ,das lassen wir mal im Raum stehen.

Spekuliere ich auf einen schwachen Rand und Kurssteigerung der RSA Minen oder du.?

Ich habe keine einzige mehr, anscheinend aber du so wie es ausschaut.

Deine Einstellung ist traurig, wir koennen hier alle verecken hauptsache Dir gehts gut.

Das Forum dient auch zur allgemeinen Information und Unterhaltung.

Der Tread heisst nochmals zu RSA und dem Rand, die Umstaende hier in diesen Land sind daher auch wichtig um Prognosen zu machen.

Aber das willst du anscheinend nicht kapieren.

Es gibt dann noch die einzelnen threads der RSA Minen wo man ins Detail geht .

Du brauchst ja nicht hier reinschauen wenn es dich so stoert.

Oder du machst einen eigenen auf, wie waers mit ""Scheiss auf RSA, wir wollen Kohle dort machen"":D

Ich verspreche Dir da werde ich nicht auftauchen,du kannst dann die Regie fuehren und das machen was du hier vermisst.

Nix fuer ungut, ich bin da direkt und rede so wie mir der Mund gewachsen ist.

Ich habe keine Lust mit Dir weiter darueber zu streiten und habe es nun klar ausgedrueckt was ich ueber deine Meinung denke.

Vielleicht bist du eines Tages das Opfer, dann koennten andere das selbe sagen von Dir und deinen Freunden oder Familie die es erwischt hat.

Servus

XAX

Wann geht der Rand schoen ueber 8 zum Euro ???

Das ware das Zeichen das er schwaecher wird.

The dollar powered to two-year highs against the euro and the yen on Tuesday, continuing a record-breaking run which started last week. For South Africans, this has meant a weaker rand as the local currency tracks the euro. What lies behind the dollar's strength, and is it sustainable?

Some have blamed the euro's weakness on the French riots, which saw images of street violence beamed across the world. But even though the riots may have been a marginal factor in the single currency's woes, there really is only one game in town - interest rates.

Greed endangering tourism in the Cape

Ashley Smith
November 16 2005 at 12:09PM

As the city gears up for a bumper summer holiday season, international tour operators have warned tourism MEC Lynne Brown that Cape Town is over-priced.

She met operators attending the World Travel Market in London, a showcase for the international tourism industry. They said they were concerned about over-pricing in the Western Cape in general, and Cape Town in particular.

Among those who voiced concerns at the World Travel Market were Virgin Holidays, owned by the Virgin Group, headed by Richard Branson.

But Nils Heckscher of the Federated Hotel Association of Southern Africa disagreed.

'Cape Town is no longer considered a cheap destination'
"Although Cape Town is no longer considered a cheap destination, it offers excellent value for money."

He said the issue of overpricing was like Christmas - "it comes around once a year". The perception was often a result of just a couple of incidents.

Brown spoke to the Cape Argus on Tuesday from the travel market, which ends on Thursday.

She said she would be talking to participants in the local tourism industry upon her return about a litany of complaints raised about over-pricing, specifically at restaurants and hotels.

She is also set to launch a tourism consumer protector to investigate complaints of poor service and over-pricing.

'We must not make tourists feel that they are being capitalised on'
Brown said tour operators who visited the Western Cape stand at the travel market had included small and large concerns, airlines and other industry players, who had all complained about prices at restaurants and hotels, which were "very, very high and getting higher".

She said: "They say it is greed in the industry."

Some operators had confirmed they were taking their business to other African destinations, such as Kenya.

Although the government could not regulate pricing, her department would impress on local operators that they would cause "long-term harm" to the province and the country.

She said with the strengthening of the rand against international currencies, the province had to find ways "not to kill off the goose that lays the golden egg".

Nearly 200 countries are taking part in the World Travel Market and Brown said deals worth about R400-billion had been concluded at last year's event.

Cape Town Routes Unlimited, the Western Cape's destination marketing body, has a display to showcase the best of the region to visitors to the travel market.

The Western Cape boasts eight of the top 10 South African tourist attractions as voted by visitors.

Brown said she had realised while networking at the market that Cape Town and South Africa in general had a relatively small share of the world's tourism, and that the local industry had to work hard to retain and increase its market share.

Asked to comment about the so-called dual system, where tourists and locals are charged different rates in Cape Town, Brown warned that "we must not make tourists feel that they are being capitalised on".

Brown's spokesperson, Thabo Mabaso, said a common thread in meetings with large tour operators, including Virgin Holidays, as well as with British tourism writers, was that "up until 2003 the tourism volumes to SA and the Western Cape in particular were growing phenomenally".

As a result, local operators had upped prices and this could now have a negative effect on tourism countrywide.

Tourism accounts for 9,8 percent of the Western Cape's gross regional product and employs 9,6 percent of the provincial workforce.

Total spending by tourists during 2004 was R21,4-billion, up from R17,3-billion in 2002.

Heckscher said Fedhasa had been talking to Cape Town Routes Unlimited about "a tourism barometer" to assess how Cape Town and Western Cape prices compared with those of other international destinations.

Cases of apparent overpricing often turned out, after investigation, to be good value for money.