By Johnathan Paoli
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille on Tuesday strongly defended her decision to dissolve the South African Tourism (SAT) board, telling Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tourism that ongoing governance failures, irregular meetings, and unlawful conduct left her with no alternative.
Former board members, however, pushed back, accusing the minister of political interference, selective enforcement of the law, and undermining the very body she was meant to oversee.
“There’s no crisis, absolutely no crisis,” De Lille insisted, stressing that her actions were about protecting public funds and enforcing accountability.
“Every cent matters. Every law in this country matters.”
In her presentation, De Lille detailed a long history of governance problems at SAT.
She reminded MPs that she had dissolved an earlier board in 2023 over the controversial R1 billion Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship deal, a case now under Special Investigating Unit (SIU) scrutiny.
The SIU recommended that delinquent directors face
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