Disputes between the former South African Tourism (SAT) board and minister of tourism Patricia de Lille have escalated to a proclamation signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The document authorises the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate allegations of serious maladministration and improper conduct in the affairs of the SAT and to recover any financial losses suffered by the state.

ALSO READ: Pretoria High Court dismisses former SAT board’s urgent bid against De Lille

Both parties welcomed the proclamation. De Lille shared that she had previously reached out to the portfolio committee and requested the proclamation from the president.

Former SAT board member Oupa Pilane also expressed his view on the matter.

“As a former board member, I repeatedly raised the alarm about irregular expenditure, successive qualified audits and the complete breakdown of financial controls – warnings that were systematically ignored,” he said.

The former SAT board was dissolved over an alleged meeting that took place on August 1, without a chairperson present, about voting to suspend former CEO Nombulelo Guliwe. Based on this, De Lille dissolved the board, stating that the meeting was convened under unlawful procedure.

Former board members stated that no meeting took place on that date and that the grounds relied upon by the minister were factually inaccurate.

ALSO READ: Mpumalanga tourism board suspends CEO after mismanagement allegations

The president’s proclamation covers allegations that took place between March 1, 2020 and November 21, 2025. According to SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago, the unit will investigate any conduct, before or after this period, that is relevant or connected to the matters under investigation, including contracts where services were paid for but not delivered.

The board suspended Guliwe, who faced a disciplinary process for financial irregularities and a R4.1m prepayment flagged by the Auditor-General, which prompted a forensic investigation.

ALSO READ: Former SAT board takes legal action against South African tourism minister

Former members said they were “deeply concerned over the minister’s persistent protection of Guliwe.”

On September 2, both parties appeared before the Parliament’s Tourism Portfolio Committee to address the dissolution. De Lille stood by her reasoning and said that she had appointed a new SAT board with six temporary members who are all South African.

ALSO READ: Mbombela’s Oupa Pilane re-elected as head of Tourism board

The former members filed an urgent application in the Pretoria High Court on September 4 to overturn De Lille’s decision to dissolve the board. The court ruled that their application did not meet the legal requirement for urgency and the matter was postponed.