By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Minister of Tourism, Patricia De Lille has defended her decision to the dissolve the board of South African Tourism (SAT) amid mounting criticism over her decision.
De Lille briefed the members of the media on the sidelines of Tourism Execution Lab session in Emperors Palace, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.
The Tourism Execution Lab is a response to the 3 priorities of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
This is another collaborative effort between the Department of Tourism and the private sector to monitor and implement the 5 key priorities contained in the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan.
These priorities are; Job creation, Ease of access, Coordinated destination marketing, Tourism product development and Tourist safety and security.
The minister dissolved the board last week after a special meeting where she claims an unlawful resolution was taken to suspend the SAT CEO Nombulelo Guliwe.
“My decision to dissolve the board is based on legal advice by senior counsel and because I have warned the board before. No special meetings can be done without a chairperson,” she said.
“I cautioned the board on their failure to follow governance procedures which undermines the integrity of the board and it could also render the outcomes or the decisions of such meetings procedurally invalid and unlawful.”
De Lille confirmed that Guliwe remains suspended.
One of the board members who was dismissed last week, Oupa Pilane, accused De Lille of a falsehood that the board had been dismissed by her because it had held an “irregular” special meeting on 1 August.
Pilane said: “The truth is stark: no such meeting took place. This falsehood is not just a misstep; it’s a deliberate attempt to silence a board poised to investigate serious allegations of misconduct, including the irregular appointment of the CEO.”
De Lille said she needed to raise her objections over what she describes as long-running procedural flaws at several board meetings to prevent the board from undermining governance systems.
She added that she won’t compromise on issues of law, even if it earns her the title of being a “smiling dictator”.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) called De Lille’s decision to fire the board “gross political interference” and “a direct assault on governance and accountability in a state entity”.
Wayne Duvenage, Outa CEO, said, “Such political interference and irrational behaviour undermines accountability, emboldens misconduct and signals to all state entities that political protection trumps governance.”