Quiero:

According to WTO (2002: 39) “local involvement in the tourism industry depends to a large extent on access to the market”. Those benefiting from local tourism, in many cases, are greatest in the informal sector where local skills and services are maximized with low-scale capital investment. This aspect is often neglected in tourism planning where access to tourists from the informal sector is often restricted. Local people especially in the rural areas are more often than not denied any significant opportunity to participate in the tourism market. Tourists, when in their hotels, coaches, safari vehicles or inside historical or nature sites and museums are often not aware and /or do not have access to local communities (ibid, 2002).

Tourism can however be organised in ways that enable the local people to have access to tourists. In the case of Spier, a local craft market has been constructed on the estate for members of the surrounding communities to exhibit their craft works to visitors and tourists to buy as souvenirs. When visitors and tourists purchase craft items from these underprivileged cohorts of the society, the money helps crafters and stall owners to sustain their livelihood, often making it possible to buy daily requirements. The craft market operating on the estate has created employment to more than twenty members of the local communities according to information obtained from management. The craft-market initiative of Spier was focused on poverty alleviation through the creation of self-employment and subsequent income for the previously unemployed from the surrounding communities. This was a poverty-alleviation strategy initiative geared towards the local black population. Findings from this research suggest that it is hugely successful and has the potential to be expanded – a step that will benefit all stakeholders.

The section that follows examines the challenges faced by Spier Leisure in meeting its poverty alleviation initiatives within its pro-poor tourism approach. Spier Leisure consists of the four star

hotel, the restaurant, the house-keeping department and the banqueting or conferencing department. This section relates to the third objective of the study as discussed in chapter two.

4.5 Challenges faced by the Spier Leisure

Respondents (management and workers) were asked about the difficulties or challenges Spier is facing in pursuit of it poverty alleviation goal and initiatives. Based on interviews conducted with respondents from both management and some workers (blacksi), the following challenges were established:

 The interview with the public relations manager revealed that Spier Leisure is still facing employment equity challenges. The manager explained that some of the departments are still dominated by whites and coloured staff. For example the marketing, human resource and sales departments are predominantly staffed by these racial groups.

 Another challenge mentioned by respondents is that of racial tension and disputes between the coloured and the black African employees. Some of the workers who were interviewed confessed that in some departments such as Housekeeping and Banqueting, there is a growing tension between the blacks and the coloured staff. This tension is usually attributed to the supervisor of a certain race that is exerting power subordinates from another race group. They find it difficult to accept this authority.

 A potentially sensitive issue that Spier will have to face is that of establishing acceptable wages for its employees. Most of the workers excluding management interviewed complained that their wages were not sufficient to meet their basic household needs. This is an important finding and can develop into serious labour discontent and instability. Another wage-related challenge concerns the non-payment of a full salary or wage equivalent as an annual bonus. Respondents were highly discontented by this situation that arose in 2009 and resulted in labour action in the form of a strike. During the interviews, respondents voiced concern that the same situation could repeat itself at the end of 2010.

 Spier Leisure also faces the challenge of the qualifications of its employees. Despite the fact that the quantitative analysis shows that 52% of respondents’ educational standards have improved since being employed at Spier, a substantial percentage (44%, figure 15) of employees have not experienced any improvement in their educational levels. Seventeen percent of the workers have a very modest qualifications of below grade 8, while 13% hold a grade twelve/ten qualification. Only a minority 4% are holders of a Bachelor’s degree and a postgraduate certificate. This is a challenge because most of the workers especially people of colour do not easily move up the management “ladder” as a result of low educational qualifications. For example in the reporting year 2005, 50% of white males and 50% of white females made up the Executive Management, while in 2006, 33% of white males and 67% of White Females constituted the Executive Management (Spier Annual Report, 2006: 37). According to the 2006 Spier Annual Report, both black males and Black females constituted zero percent of the Executive Management level. Issues of employment and qualification of workers can be reviewed through labour union representation at Spier. All Spier employees have the right to freely associate and become part of a union should they collectively choose to do so. Spier formally consult with unions to discuss and negotiate terms and conditions of employment contracts and annual increases (Spier Annual Report, 2006).

 Spier Leisure is still facing problems with its sustainability approach to the environment. An interview with some of the management staff revealed that Spier is still using some out-of-date and ecologically harmful mechanical equipment to cut and sweep the lawns on the estate. These machines cause fumes and very toxic carbon emissions. Another environmentally unfriendly measure is the use of plastic bottles instead of glass bottles.

 The very fact that Spier is treating its employees as a family also somewhat surprisingly has its downside. Some employees are using this inclusive treatment to the detriment of the profit margin of the company. For instance some workers do not execute their functions in the way they ought to. This has caused some service delivery problems from employees lacking the passion and the motivation to carrying out their duties properly.

Having critically analyzed the challenges that the Spier pro-poor tourism initiative is facing, the question remains as to how these challenges can be addressed? The fourth objective of this study seeks to provide recommendations as to how the above-mentioned challenges can be handled most effective. The attempted solutions to these challenges will be discussed in chapter five. This will constitute part of the recommendations for the study.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION

5.1 Introduction

This chapter presents the summary of the major research findings of the study. It also makes a number of recommendations, based on findings and insights generated by the data on how Spier can pursue its sustainable poverty alleviation strategy amongst its workers and the local population living within the sphere of its operation. The chapter ends with some concluding remarks.

The chapter starts with a discussion of the sustainability of poverty reduction strategy as employed by Spier.