The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) is outraged by Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille’s decision to dissolve the South African Tourism (SAT) board. This action is nothing short of gross political interference and represents a direct assault on governance and accountability within a state entity.
The SAT board had acted within its mandate and in line with its fiduciary responsibilities by addressing serious governance concerns, including findings raised by the Auditor-General and a corroborating forensic investigation into irregular financial conduct. Instead of supporting her own competent board for holding executive management accountable, the Minister has chosen to protect the SAT CEO by disbanding the very body tasked with oversight.
We believe the Minister did not even take the time to formally meet with the board and, therefore, she has not given the process sufficient input and thought prior to taking this drastic action of dismissing the entire board. As far as OUTA is concerned, the fact that the board does not have a chairperson – which incidentally is the Minister’s fault – doesn’t make the board’s decision unlawful in taking the necessary action that it did. We believe the board was quorate and unanimous in how it arrived at the decision to suspend the CEO, pending a disciplinary enquiry into her conduct.
“This decision by Minister de Lille is disgraceful,” says Wayne Duvenage, OUTA CEO. “OUTA has witnessed many boards of state entities that have fallen short of their oversight and fiduciary duties, which gives rise to maladministration and corruption in these entities. Thus, when we witness a state entity board that is acting with integrity and diligence, we need to celebrate and support them. What infuriates us is when a minister such as de Lille steps in to dismantle it. Such political interference and irrational behaviour undermines accountability, emboldens misconduct, and signals to all state entities that political protection trumps governance.”
OUTA calls on the Minister to reverse her decision immediately and reinstate the SAT board. Should she fail to do so, OUTA urges the members of the dissolved board to bring an urgent interdict before the courts to challenge the legality of her decision.
Furthermore, we call on President Cyril Ramaphosa to dismiss Minister de Lille for conduct that is inconsistent with her constitutional mandate, which is to ensure effective oversight, not to obstruct it.
South Africa cannot afford more political meddling in its public institutions. We need leaders who back good governance, not those who undermine it.
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