SATSA has added its weight behind calls for Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille to reconsider her decision to dissolve the SA Tourism Board, describing the axing as outside the bounds of established legal and governance frameworks.
“We urge the Minister to reverse her decision, to desist from political interference and to restore stability by allowing the Board and executives of SA Tourism to carry out their responsibilities,” the inbound association’s directors said in a statement on August 25.
SATSA voiced its full support for the Board’s decision to suspend SA Tourism CEO Nombulelo Guliwe after an independent forensic investigation linked her to alleged irregular spending.
“Despite repeated obstacles, the Board carried out its fiduciary responsibilities with diligence and integrity,” the statement said. “Rather than support these steps towards accountability, the Minister dissolved the Board on a baseless and spurious technicality.”
De Lille claims the SA Tourism Board arrived at its decision to suspend Guliwe unlawfully as the Board did not have a Chairperson at the August 1 meeting when the decision was supposedly made. The dissolved Board asserts the meeting did not take place.
Oupa Pilane, one of the members of the dissolved Board, said the Board had been preparing to thoroughly investigate the allegations against Guliwe after her suspension was announced on August 14.
“Yet, before we could proceed, Minister de Lille dissolved us, using a non-existent meeting as a pretext,” said Pilane.
SATSA’s directors asserted that the Board was acting within its fiduciary duties.
“It is our clear legal interpretation that a Board can continue to perform its fiduciary duties provided there is a quorum, regardless of whether a Chair is in place. Acting within this mandate, the Board pursued the appropriate course of action.”
The directors claimed that, by dissolving the Board without officially gazetting the decision, De Lille “not only sidestepped due process but also acted outside the bounds of established legal and governance frameworks”.
The directors further supported the former Board’s right to pursue legal recourse, describing this action as justified and necessary.
“SATSA stands firmly behind the dissolved Board members, our colleagues, peers and industry leaders who acted with competence, integrity and a genuine commitment to South Africa.”
On August 22, De Lille appointed an interim panel of six members to oversee SA Tourism’s governance until a new permanent Board is installed.
De Lille is set to appear before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tourism on September 2 to deliver a detailed briefing on the developments at SA Tourism. All members of the dissolved Board have also been invited to present their version of events, as highlighted in an official invitation letter seen by Tourism Update.
Failure to appoint Chair and Deputy
De Lille has been further criticised for failing to appoint a new Chairperson following the enforced resignation of Gregory Davids on July 31. The Board has also been without a Deputy Chairperson since Davids’ appointment in September last year.
In a July 17 resolution, which Tourism Update has seen, SA Tourism’s Board members adopted a vote of no confidence in Davids, citing repeated failures to respond to written requests, facilitate performance evaluations and address audit and risk findings.
At the time, the Board formally requested that De Lille acknowledges the vote of no confidence and immediately appoints a new Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson.
“The Minister failed to appoint either a new Chairperson or an Acting Chairperson despite being asked to do so by the Board,” SATSA’s directors said.
The governance of SA Tourism has undergone upheaval since De Lille’s appointment in March 2023, including the dissolution of the Board following the mass resignation of eight members in April that year – a decision that was officially gazetted.
“This crisis rests squarely with the Minister’s actions. The perception is that, in choosing to protect one individual at the expense of governance and trust, she risks doing irreparable damage to the very fabric of our sector,” SATSA’s directors said.
Speaking at a media briefing in Johannesburg on Monday afternoon, De Lille said she "vehemently denied" the allegations of political interference.
"I have got no problem with the decision to investigate the allegations of misconduct against the CEO. My decision to dissolve the board is based on legal advice from senior counsel. There is a difference between interfering and intervening. When I see that something is wrong, I will intervene."
She maintained that neither the Tourism Act nor the Board Charter made provisions for special meetings - such as the disputed August 1 meeting, held "a few hours after" the resignation of Davids - to be convened without a Chairperson.
