BY PHUMZILE NDLOVU
MATSAPHA – They are coming, save the date August 31.
This year’s Swazi Rally date has been revealed today (July 24, 2024) by Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Mkhonta-Simelane when she launched the 31st biker’s gathering, which was held at Xtreme Trading in Matsapha.
The date for Swazi Rally 2024 is 30 August – 1 September 2024. The theme this year is “See and save me so I can ride again.”
In attendance at the launch were Carlos and Sonia Paiva, the owners of Xtreme Trading, who are the sponsors of the Yahama Suzuki Bike worth E265 000. Also in attendance were Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture CEO Stanley Dlamini, Manzini Regional Administrator Chief Gija, MVA representative Dumisa Dlamini, and Tourism CEO Vusi Dlamini.
In her speech, the minister shared that the Tourism industry was getting back to normal. “This year, I can say we have come so much further as a ministry and nation at large. It is with great excitement that, as a nation, we saw a surge in the number of tourists entering Eswatini in the first quarter of the year.”
According to the minister, in the first three months of 2024 alone, Eswatini saw an increase in tourists visiting the kingdom compared to the same months in 2023. Which is tremendous news for the tourism industry and no small occurrence? “It means that the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs is a step closer to pursuing its target of two million visitors with revenue of E2 billion by 2025,” she said.
She also shared that it was important for the ministry to support events like the Swazi Rally that continue to draw large crowds into the country, keeping the industry vibrant. “We have seen the rally grow from pooling together a small community of bikers to drawing crowds from all over the SADC region, and some travel from as far as overseas. It stimulates many industries in our country, from the local informal vendor to guest houses, hotels, restaurants, filling stations, eateries, entertainment venues, game parks, crafts, and many more,” Mkhonta-Simelane said.
The minister shared that she is happy that this year there will be a programme on road safety, awareness, and visibility on the roads, a programme that will be implemented in certain schools. Young people are not aware of pedestrians, motorists, and motorcyclists’ behaviours.
Dumisa Msibi of MVA, who was representing the CEO, shared in his speech that ever since they became part of the rally, they have noted a decline in biking accidents. “We would like to ensure the safety of the bikers on our roads by creating awareness. We are now teaching them how the fund works, and that it only accepts liability when they are not at fault. When we started working with the rally, it was challenging as bikers were perishing on the roads. The challenge we noted as well is that motorists don’t consider bikers as part of the traffic; hence, we have conducted awareness campaigns to educate the public.”
