Patricia de Lille dissolves the SA Tourism board for governance failures. However, Outa said it is 'outraged' by her action.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has dissolved the SA Tourism board with immediate effect over what she called unlawful decisions.
De Lille informed the board of her decision on 19 August, following consideration of their written representations as to why the board should not be dissolved.
De Lille removes SA Tourism board for unlawful conduct
The minister said the board members neglected to address the crucial question of the legality of the process the board used when calling a special board meeting on 1 August, when the unlawful resolution was taken.
De Lille said legal advice to her confirmed that the board’s special meeting on 1 August 2025 was convened unlawfully. She said section 18(2) of the Act empowers only the board chairperson to convene a special board meeting.
“As of 1 August 2025, the board had no chairperson to lawfully convene a special board meeting following the resignation of Professor Gregory Davids the day before (31 July 2025), but this notwithstanding, the board elected to convene a special board meeting, and in doing so, the board acted unlawfully and ultra vires its powers,” the minister said.
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Minister warned board in the past
In the past, De Lille had warned the board about the potential consequences of calling special and ordinary meetings without following the proper procedures.
In a meeting with the board on 4 July 2025, and a letter to the board on 13 July 2025, the minister voiced her concerns about the board’s disregard for governance protocols. The minister said this compromised the board’s integrity and may have made the results of such meetings invalid and unlawful.
The board responded by letter on 22 July 2025, assuring De Lille that it had put in place interventions, and these “enhancements have and will ensure that all meetings are properly constituted, chaired and documented…”
“In the exercise of its powers, the board must always be guided by the principle of legality, which is part of the rule of law as set out in section 1(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa,” De Lille said.
The department said the minister will initiate the process to appoint a new board and invite nominations for eligible people in due course. In the interim, De Lille will appoint one or more individuals to manage the board’s affairs until she installs a new board.
“The minister assures South Africans and the tourism sector that these developments will not derail the ongoing programmes, including SA Tourism’s collaboration with the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, to deliver a successful G20 summit,” the department said.
Outa calls De Lille’s decision ‘disgraceful’
In response to De Lille’s action, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) said it is “outraged”.
“This action is nothing short of gross political interference and represents a direct assault on governance and accountability within a state entity,” it said.
Outa said the SA Tourism board was addressing serious governance concerns, including irregular financial conduct. It added that it suspects De Lille’s decision was made to protect the suspended SA Tourism CEO Nombulelo Guliwe.
“Instead of supporting her own competent board for holding executive management accountable, the minister has chosen to protect the SA Tourism CEO by disbanding the very body tasked with oversight.
“As far as Outa is concerned, the fact that the board does not have a chairperson – which incidentally is the minister’s fault – doesn’t make the board’s decision unlawful in taking the necessary action that it did. We believe the board was quorate and unanimous in how it arrived at the decision to suspend the CEO, pending a disciplinary enquiry into her conduct.
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