Tourism industry raises alarm over leadership turmoil in South African Tourism Board
Image: Supplied
The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) - the umbrella organisation representing businesses in the hospitality, travel, and tourism sector - has voiced serious concerns over recent upheavals within the board of South African Tourism (SA Tourism).
This comes after the SA Tourism board on Thursday placed CEO Nombulelo Guliwe on precautionary suspension effective immediately, following serious allegations of misconduct.
Leadership instability at the national tourism agency responsible for marketing the country as a preferred tourist destination comes just a month before one of South Africa's biggest tourism conferences hosted by TBCSA.
In a statement on Friday, TBCSA highlighted Guliwe's reported suspension and the resignation of board chairperson, Professor Gregory Davids, last month as glaring concerns.
Compounding worries for the tourism industry, there are discussions around the potential dissolution of the board itself.
These developments come at a time when the tourism sector is still in a precarious state of recovery following the tumultuous impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
TBCSA said it was alarmed by the leadership instability as it could derail significant progress made in revitalising the tourism market.
"These matters are deeply troubling as the sector is still in recovery mode," said TBCSA chairman, Jerry Mabena.
"The TBCSA calls on the Minister, Hon. Patricia de Lille, to urgently address these matters. The TBCSA further stands in support of the work of the ministry and department in ensuring that tourism programs are not delayed or adversely affected."
In light of these circumstances, the TBCSA called upon the Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, to take swift action in addressing these pressing issues.
The organisation expressed unwavering support for the Ministry and the department's efforts in ensuring that existing tourism programmes continue unabated and are not hindered by the ongoing uncertainties.
Looking ahead, the TBCSA said it plans to engage with other key tourism stakeholders, including the board of SA Tourism, in the coming week in a bid to discuss strategies to collectively support the organisation during this turbulent period.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Ad loading
Meanwhile, De Lille's office declared the board's decision null and void since it no longer has a chairperson nor a deputy chairperson.
In a brief statement in response to this suspension, the department said De Lille has noted the decision by the board and said it was "unlawful".
"As of 31 July 2025, the South African Tourism Board does not have a board chairperson following the resignation of Professor Gregory Davids. This means, the board in its current form is not properly constituted to take such a resolution," said the department.
"Minister de Lille, remains committed to ensuring the adherence to sound governance principles at South African Tourism and will address the above with the board."
Guliwe, a qualified Chartered Accountant, was appointed to the CEO position for a five-year period in February 2024 following a comprehensive recruitment process.
In nearly 10 years with the organisation, Guliwe has served in various leadership roles throughout her career including chief financial officer at SA Tourism since August 2019.
Under Guliwe's tenure, SA Tourism was recently plunged into a tender scandal after allegations of irregularities in the awarding of a R100 million tender to Pomme Express.
Pomme Express was reported to have failed to show proof of experience and alleged to have provided false and misleading information in its bid toorganise Meetings Africa 2025 and Africa's Travel Indaba 2025.
While in the position of action CEO, Guliwe was accused by a group of SA Tourism employees of bullying and enforcing a culture of intimidation and intimidation, but the board at the time dismissed those allegations as baseless.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
14 minutes ago
- IOL News
SA Tourism CEO Nombulelo Guliwe remains suspended amid board upheaval
SA Tourism CEO, Nombulelo Guliwe, a qualified Chartered Accountant, was appointed to the CEO position for a five-year period in February 2024 following a comprehensive recruitment process. Image: Supplied The Department of Tourism has announced that the South African Tourism (SA Tourism) CEO, Nombulelo Guliwe, will remain suspended despite the minister ruling that the board's decision was unlawful. This decision comes as the Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, dissolved the board of directors of SA Tourism after it failed to convince her as to why it should remain in office following its decision to suspend Guliwe for misconduct. "The precautionary suspension of the SA Tourism CEO remains in effect," De Lille's spokesperson, Aldrin Sampear, told Business Report on Wednesday. "The minister will meet with the new board members who will be appointed in the interim, to discuss the appointment of an acting CEO at SA Tourism." De Lille had given the nine-member board until Thursday night last week to explain why it should not be dissolved because, in its current form, it was not properly constituted to take such a resolution since it had no chairperson following the resignation of Professor Gregory Davids last month. The remaining members of the SA Tourism board were Judi Nwokedi, Miller Matola, Ikaneng Pilane, Maija de Rijk-Uys, Tumelo Selikane, Ayanda Mazibuko, Jonathan Gadiah, Lawson Naidoo and Rachel Nxele. In a letter addressed to individual board members on Tuesday night and seen by Business Report, De Lille cited legal grounds for her decision to remove directors and dissolve the board. 'I have considered your written representations and have taken a decision to remove you from the Board of South African Tourism in terms of section 16(1) of the Tourism Act No.3 of 2014 effective immediately,' De Lille wrote. 'As a consequence of this, I have also taken a decision to dissolve the board effective immediately in terms of section 16(3) of the Act.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading In a statement on Wednesday, she also asserted that the board acted unlawfully and overstepped its powers by taking the resolution to suspend Guliwe without following established protocols. "According to legal advice to the Minister, the special board meeting of 01 August 2025 was convened unlawfully. Section 18(2) of the Act empowers only the board chairperson to convene a special board meeting," read the statement. "This exclusive power given to the chairperson of the board is further confirmed by clause 9.1.2 of Board Charter which was adopted on 16 April 2024. "As of 01 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." Guliwe, a qualified Chartered Accountant, was appointed to the CEO position for a five-year period in February 2024 following a comprehensive recruitment process. SA Tourism was recently plunged into a tender scandal after allegations of irregularities in the awarding of a R100 million tender to Pomme Express, a company reported to have failed to show proof of experience and alleged to have provided false and misleading information in its bid to organise Meetings Africa 2025 and Africa's Travel Indaba 2025. De Lille said she was in the process of filling the vacant positions of the board and will be embarking on the process to appoint an interim structure as required by law. "The Minister shall, in terms of section 13(3) of the Act, initiate the process to appoint a new Board and will invite nominations of eligible persons in due course. "In the interim, the Minister shall, in terms of section 16(3) of the Act, appoint one or more persons to manage the affairs of the Board until the new Board is appointed."
The Citizen
3 hours ago
- The Citizen
De Lille dissolves SA Tourism board – but Outa calls her decision ‘disgraceful'
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. ALSO READ: WATCH: Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille launches Tourism Month 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. NOW READ: The missed opportunity in South African tourism
IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
SASSA September 2025 payment dates confirmed for old age, disability, and child grants
SASSA confirms payment dates for grant in September 2025, ensuring financial support for South African citizens. Image: File The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has confirmed the official payment schedule for September 2025, covering old age, disability, child support, and Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grants. According to the agency, beneficiaries can expect their grants on the following dates: Old Age Grant: Tuesday, September 2, 2025. Disability Grant: Wednesday, September 3, 2025. All other grants, including child support: Thursday, September 4, 2025. Sassa urged beneficiaries to plan carefully and not to rush to collection points on the first day to avoid long queues. The agency also highlighted the ongoing issue of unauthorized deductions from social grants, calling on beneficiaries to act quickly if they notice irregularities. 'Is money being deducted from your social grant without your permission? Report this to your nearest SASSA office as soon as possible,' the agency said. Disputes can also be lodged via SMS by sending an ID number and the name of the financial services provider to 34548. SASSA reiterated the legal protections in place, stressing that 'only one deduction is allowed per month, up to 10% of your grant, and only if a beneficiary has consented to such a deduction.' Meanwhile, the agency confirmed that COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) payments for August 2025 will be made between August 27 and 30, 2025. Beneficiaries facing delays due to 'referred' status have been urged to verify their identity online. 'If referred status has been resolved, you will get paid from the next payment cycle and historic payments will be paid as per the schedule,' SASSA explained. IOL News
