De Lille backs SIU probe into SA Tourism corruption

Simon Nare

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate allegations of maladministration and corruption in South African Tourism.

The minister said she was pleased that the request she made in a letter to Ramaphosa earlier this year, calling for an investigation into the allegations, had been granted.

“This is an important step towards maintaining stability and ensuring that every rand allocated to tourism is used to grow the sector, support jobs and strengthen South Africa’s allure globally,” she said.

The SIU, in a press statement on Monday, said the president had signed the proclamation to investigate serious maladministration and improper conduct in the affairs of the entity and its board, and to recover financial losses suffered by the state.

“Proclamation 297 of 2025 empowers the SIU to investigate allegations of the procurement of media buying services linked to