Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has formally submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to the Department of Tourism to obtain the full record of Minister Patricia de Lille’s decision to dissolve the SA Tourism Board.
The DA has since received official acknowledgement from the Department confirming receipt of our application.
This follows explosive parliamentary revelations earlier this week that De Lille ignored warnings, interfered in Auditor-General investigations, and shielded a CEO who wasted R4.1 million of public funds. Instead of protecting taxpayers, the Minister dissolved the Board to protect her ally.
Through the PAIA, the DA is demanding access to:
- The Ngubane forensic report into the CEO;
- The legal advice relied on to dissolve the Board;
- All communication between the Minister and the Board, and between the Minister and SA Tourism management;
- All communication from the Auditor-General relating to the WWP transaction.
South Africans deserve to know whether De Lille acted lawfully and in the public interest, or whether she abused her office to obstruct accountability. If the Minister has nothing to hide, she should immediately release these documents.
The DA will not allow this matter to be buried. If the Minister refuses transparency, we are prepared to escalate this matter through all available legal channels to ensure the truth is exposed.
Patricia de Lille must come clean – or step aside.
Regards
Haseena Ismail MP
DA Spokesperson on Tourism