De Lille unimpressed with Sefa over tourism business applications

By Simon Nare

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has expressed concern over the speed at which the Tourism Equity Fund was processed since applications were opened in November.

Only 20 applications have been approved thus far.

De Lille said the administration of the R1.2 billion fund by Small Enterprise Finance Agency was too slow.

“I remain seriously concerned about the speed at which decisions are taken on TEF applications and the rate at which Sefa disburses funds to the approved applicants.

“The more delays tourism businesses face in accessing finance, the more we are not achieving transformation and the creation of the muchneeded jobs in the tourism sector,” said the minister.

She said Sefa has reported that it was expanding on outreach activities, including hosting webinars, to provide step-by-step guidance to help applicants navigate the TEF application process to improve their chances of success.

The minister announced that the department