The South African Minister of Tourism is leading fundraising efforts to assist women-led tourism businesses in rural and township communities.

Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane is to host a golf day at the Johannesburg Country Club in Woodmead on December 11. The funds raised at the tournament will go toward supporting small, female-owned tourism businesses that have been struggling to cover the costs of implementing health and safety protocols.

“I learned, from my interactions with the sector, that SMMEs, the majority of which are women-owned, have not reopened because of their inability to meet operational requirements,” said Kubayi-Ngubane.

She said as the government was operating under a constrained budget, the fundraising event would mobilise funds to assist these women.

“We want to ensure that our sector is able to recover in a more inclusive way. When we support women and women-owned tourism establishments, we ensure that we remain inclusive,” she said.

The Minister has identified tourism businesses across South Africa’s nine provinces to which the money raised will be channelled, with a particular focus on rural establishments.