South Africa: Committee Chairperson on Economic Development Welcomes Minister’s Decision to Dissolve South African (SA) Tourism Board

The Select Committee on Economic Development and Trade has noted the Minister’s decision to dissolve the entire board of SA Tourism.

The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Sonja Boshoff, said that when such decisions are taken, they should always be aimed at improving governance within government entities.

She said: “The committee is satisfied that the Minister acted on sound legal advice in arriving at her decision, which the committee notes and welcomes. The role of this entity is even more crucial given the geopolitical ructions that the country currently faces.”

Ms Boshoff further stated that it would be ideal for a new board to be appointed without delay, and she stressed that the absence of a board should not disrupt the programmes of SA Tourism.

Minister Patricia de Lille announced on Wednesday that she had decided to dissolve the board with immediate effect. The Minister said the board had failed to show cause in addressing the legality of the procedure it followed when convening a special meeting on 1 August—against her advice—wherein an unlawful resolution was taken.

“As the shareholder, one expects that the Minister’s counsel on such matters should be regarded and respected by entities under her portfolio,” Ms Boshoff said.

Ms Boshoff added that the committee will continue to exercise effective oversight over the entity. “We want to see improved performance from SA Tourism, not meaningless meetings and international trips. Small role players within the sector must benefit meaningfully from the work and programmes of SA Tourism. We do not want redundancy and duplication of work already being done by the Department of Tourism.”

Ms Boshoff called on the Minister to act with speed to stabilise the entity so that it can focus on restoring South Africa’s image among international tourists. “South Africa must be a destination of choice for international travellers. There is nothing they cannot find in this beautiful country of ours,” she concluded.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.