Members of the dissolved board of South African Tourism (SAT) and tourism minister Patricia de Lille will square up in parliament on Tuesday over her controversial decision to show them the door.
De Lille dissolved the board with immediate effect after accusing it of holding an illegal meeting on August 1. At this meeting, the board chose to place CEO Nombulelo Guliwe on precautionary suspension for being part of a team that authorised an unlawful R4.1m prepayment to an SAT supplier, who never did the work.
Guliwe was also accused of unlawfully suspending SAT's company secretary, a role that reports to the board, and removing the chief marketing officer.
An independent forensic investigation recommended that disciplinary action be instituted against Guliwe over the prepayment.
De Lille charged that the board exceeded its powers by appointing a board member to carry out some of the functions of the previous chair and contravened its own charter by holding a special board meeting that the chair did not convene.
Ronalda Nalumango, chair of parliament's tourism portfolio committee, said they had decided to bring all the parties into one room — from the minister to members of the now dissolved board as well as the chair of the board that preceded this one — to understand the issues.
“Basically, because we were not taken into confidence by the minister in terms of what informed her decision to dissolve, we thought we should bring the minister in so that she is able to take the committee into her confidence and explain to us why she dissolved the board,” Nalumango said.
“We have also extended an invitation to the board to also hear their side. It would be amiss to have the minister only and not members of the dissolved board.”
Nalumango said the portfolio committee was concerned about developments at the organisation responsible for marketing South Africa as a tourism destination.
Our concern is that in a short space of time this is now the second board dissolved by the minister. For us it really raises red flags. We want to understand why in such a short space of time are two boards dissolved
— Ronalda Nalumango, chair of parliament's tourism portfolio committee
“Our concern is that in a short space of time this is now the second board dissolved by the minister. For us it really raises red flags. We want to understand why in such a short space of time are two boards dissolved.”
Lawson Naidoo, a member of the dissolved board, said they were going to parliament to explain why the dissolution was illegal and outline the sequence of events at SAT from when the board in April received the contentious independent forensic report.
He said while that report had recommended consequence management be instituted against Guliwe, the minister had failed to give concurrence to that action.
“Instead, the minister has employed diversionary tactics to frustrate the board, and ultimately to dissolve it, without providing a lawful good cause as is required by the Tourism Act,” he said.
Last week, the Sunday Times reported that another report compiled by a different board concluded that Guliwe was grossly unsuitable for the job. A few weeks after this assessment, De Lille sent letters to the chair and deputy board chair giving them 48 hours to explain why they should not be removed for holding “excessive meetings”. They resigned in protest, along with four other board members.
De Lille has been on a media blitz to defend herself against accusations that she was providing political protection to Guliwe.
The Tourism Business Council, which lobbies on behalf of the sector, has previously expressed shock at the drama unfolding at SAT.
“For the past four years, we've had board after board,” said CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa.
“Some come in the interim. Some resign. The situation of the chair, the deputy chair who resigned because of certain issues. We haven't had stability for the past four years, and that's why as an industry we're saying in order for tourism to thrive, for us to impact the economy positively, for us to create jobs, we need a functioning destination marketing organisation, which is SAT, to do its job.”
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