The sudden dissolution of the South African Tourism Board by Minister Patricia de Lille has been met with sharp criticism from the private sector.
David Frost, Chief Executive Officer of the South African Tourism Services Association (SATSA), described the move as “an extremely heinous action” that undermines good governance and damages South Africa’s tourism reputation.
READ: De Lille accused of “gross political interference” over SA Tourism board dissolution
Speaking to Benito Vergotine on The Honest Truth, Frost argued that the now-dissolved board was one of the strongest the sector had ever seen.
“From the private sector point of view, this is the best assembled board tourism has ever had. Every one of those board members has an impeccable track record. They are well thought of, and just good people.”
He noted that the minister herself had chosen the board in September last year, but then failed to build a constructive relationship with it.
“Instead of meeting the board and seeking their opinion, she came in and lectured them for 45 minutes. That is not getting to know your board and not getting to develop a relationship with it.”
The tipping point, according to Frost, came in April this year when an independent forensic report implicated the CEO of South African Tourism following irregular findings by the Auditor-General.
“That is a crisis in your SOE. Your CEO is fingered in a forensic audit. Meet with your board and jointly develop a plan of action. She chose not to.”
Instead, Frost argued, the minister obstructed the process and undermined the board’s authority.
“To believe her narrative, you must believe that these nine or ten people somehow conspired to behave in a nefarious way with the express purpose of undermining SA Tourism. It’s a ludicrous proposition.”
He suggested the minister’s actions pointed to a deliberate attempt to shield the CEO: “That’s the only plausible explanation.”
Frost also criticised De Lille’s handling of board leadership.
“She ignored all the industry leaders with board experience and appointed a social scientist with no substantive board or tourism experience. He floundered miserably, and this was brought to her attention. But she did nothing. She also slights her own board by not appointing a deputy chair, which she’s obliged to do under the Tourism Act.”
The fallout, Frost warned, is damaging not only to governance but to South Africa’s credibility as a tourism destination.
“It casts our industry in an incredibly poor light. If you’re going to get rid of a board, have some decent reasons. These were competent people, unanimously doing their job.”
Despite the setback, Frost emphasised the resilience of the private sector: “We’ve been through unabridged birth certificates, red lists, and COVID. We will continue to market the country. But if we want to surpass pre-COVID levels, we need a fully functioning destination marketing organisation, and that is SA Tourism. The board she dissolved was well on its way to doing that.”
Looking ahead, he confirmed that the dissolved board intends to mount a legal challenge and will appear before Parliament’s portfolio committee next week.
“It is an incredibly rare moment in politics when the DA and the EFF are totally aligned, but they are both fully behind the dissolved board. That tells you everything.”
Frost concluded with a damning assessment: “These board members did nothing wrong other than try to uphold corporate governance and make the organisation functional. Dissolving them was irrational, harmful, and shows absolute contempt for the private sector.”
