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People visiting Cape Town in South Africa can soon expect to be greeted by tour guides wearing yellow bibs and red caps offering help on all sorts of topics, according to reports.

A new initiative has been launched called the Tjommies, which is an Afrikaans slang word for friend, Ambassador Project, which has given eight unemployed people jobs as visitor guides, BuaNews reports.

The guides offer advice on attractions and how travellers can carry out their holidays with little hassle.

Launched by non-profit organisation Men on the Side of the Road, the project is also hoped to boost safety for tourists while also providing new job opportunities for local people.

Anton Peterson, a Tjommies shift manager, told BuaNews: 'They [guides] are trained to assist tourists and are provided with maps, guides and season specific information.

'Training on the city's heritage and tourist attractions and how to present themselves to tourists is also given.'

It is hoped that the scheme could help prepare Cape Town for the expected influx of visitors to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.

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