SA AIA Statement: Urgent concern over Western Cape school trip cancellations linked to water-exposed activities.

SA AIA Statement: Urgent concern over Western Cape school camp cancellations linked to water-exposed activities

The South African Adventure Industry Association (SA AIA) is increasingly concerned by reports that Western Cape public schools are cancelling camps and outdoor education programmes and requesting refunds due to restrictions relating to activities that take place in, on, or around water.

SA AIA fully supports the duty of care carried by education authorities, schools and School Governing Bodies (SGBs) to protect learners during school excursions and educational programmes. We also support the urgent goal of preventing drowning and serious incidents. Safety must always come first.

However, SA AIA is concerned that a blanket approach - rather than a practical, risk-managed approach - may be driving widespread cancellations and uncertainty across the outdoor education and adventure sector.

This is already creating real and immediate impacts:

• Learners lose access to structured outdoor education experiences that build confidence, resilience, teamwork, leadership and wellbeing: benefits that are especially important for public-school learners and youth-at-risk programmes.

• Drowning-prevention outcomes may worsen over time if supervised water-safety education and skills development are removed instead of strengthened.

• Businesses and jobs are being harmed, with venues and providers reporting cancellations, refunds and loss of income across the value chain (venues, guides/facilitators, transport, catering and support services).

• Risk may shift rather than reduce, as informal exposure to water environments can continue without consistent planning, supervision and emergency readiness.

SA AIA notes that credible, practical tools and specialist expertise already exist within the broader safety ecosystem - including NSRI, Lifesaving South Africa, SAMSA, the African Paddling Association (APA), and SA AIA, to name a few, to support consistent planning and safe participation through clear minimum standards.

SA AIA calls for urgent, structured engagement between the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), districts, schools/SGBs, and the safety ecosystem to move from blanket restriction to risk-managed participation.

SA AIA proposes a practical “permission-to-proceed” minimum standard for water-exposed excursions and camps, including:

1. Site- and activity-specific risk assessment;

2. Competent leadership and appropriate supervision;

3. Emergency readiness (first aid/CPR capability, communications, escalation pathways);

4. Venue/provider vetting and documentation (procedures, insurance where applicable, incident reporting); and

5. Monitoring and reporting that strengthens learning and accountability.

Industry reporting request: 

SA AIA is compiling an industry impact snapshot to support constructive engagement. If your organisation has experienced cancellations/refunds or received written instructions affecting school programmes, please email SA AIA with:

• location/district (if known)

• programme dates affected

• cancellation/refund value (estimate is fine)

• any written notice received (email/screenshot)

SA AIA remains committed to being a constructive partner to government - representing responsible operators and prioritising learner safety - while protecting equitable access to outdoor education for public-school learners.