“Travel Locally”: Prominent Tourism Figure Condemns Mozambicans’ Attack on SA Tourists, SA Suggests

• Tourism consultant Oupa Pilane issued a press release condemning the harassment of South African tourists in Mozambique and other neighbouring countries
• Oupa linked the incidents to retaliatory tensions following recent xenophobic protests in South Africa, warning that regional tourism economies stand to suffer
• South Africans online backed calls to stay home and explore local destinations instead

A South African tourism development consultant urged compatriots to hold off on travel to Mozambique and surrounding countries after videos emerged showing South African visitors being confronted and verbally abused. Oupa Pilane, a KLCBT Special Attaché for Tourism Development and Transformation, published a formal press release on 8 July 2026 from Mbombela, condemning what he described as organised harassment against legally travelling South Africans.

Regional tourism at risk

He connected the incidents to the wave of retaliatory sentiment that followed recent xenophobic protests in South Africa, widely known as the "mabahambe" movement. Facebook user Oupa Pilane was direct in his message; innocent tourists carrying valid documents should not be made to face the consequences of broader political tensions. He argued that targeting ordinary visitors does nothing to address genuine grievances and only widens the rift between neighbouring nations. Beyond the immediate safety concerns, Oupa flagged the economic damage that ongoing harassment could cause across the region.

Read also

"Please come back safe": More visuals of tension with SA tourists in Mozambique, SA concerned

See Oupa Pilane's full press release on this Facebook post below:

Mzansi backs the call to travel local

South Africans responding to the post largely agreed that now was not the time to cross the border:

User @Musa Ngomane said:

"People must refrain from visiting our neighbouring countries, please; it's not safe."

User @Khabonina Khabo wrote:

"SA, let's explore and travel within our country; local is lekker."

User @King Sharīf Jeremiah added:

"Our government is always encouraging us to travel local, buy local, eat local. It's beneficial to all of us."

User @Margaret Siebert asked:

"Do they want sympathy or sensation? Honestly, what did they expect?"

User @Marius Van Der Vyver remarked:

"It's hard when you have to take your own medicine?"

3 Briefly News illegal immigrant protest-related articles

• A Mozambican woman believed to be a restaurant owner chased away South African tourists from the establishment, retaliating from the 'mabahambe' protests in Mzansi.
• Two men filmed a congested Johannesburg CBD, shocked that foreign nationals had returned to the streets after the March and March protests, sparking an online debate.
• A Johannesburg man went around his neighbourhood checking which spaza shops were still open during the "mabahambe" protests and ordered them to close.

Source: Briefly News