SA Tourism Collapses

Statement by Haseena Ismail MP – DA Spokesperson on Tourism:

The DA has written to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee requesting that the Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, and South African Tourism (SAT) urgently appear before Parliament to account for the ongoing governance collapse at the entity.

The continued withholding of TOMSA Levy funds by the private sector until governance and accountability failures are addressed is a clear indication that confidence in SA Tourism has significantly deteriorated under Minister De Lille’s leadership.

This situation has been further worsened by the resignation of Acting CEO Darryl Erasmus, effective 13 February. Erasmus was serving in an acting capacity while the suspended CEO, Nombulelo Guliwe, continues to receive a salary as her disciplinary process remains unresolved.

As a result, SA Tourism currently has no permanent appointments for CEO, COO, or CMO, and remains without a permanent board. Despite this, Minister De Lille has publicly stated that “there has never been a crisis in SA Tourism.”

This assertion is at odds with reality. SA Tourism is subject to an SIU investigation, governed by an interim board, and experiencing sustained instability at senior management level.

These failures are already evident in practice. Industry stakeholders have raised serious concerns about the planning and execution of Meetings Africa, one of South Africa’s flagship tourism trade events, citing operational weaknesses and declining confidence. At the same time, the ongoing withholding of TOMSA Levy funds is directly constraining SAT’s ability to market South Africa internationally, support destination promotion, and drive tourism demand in key source markets.

SA Tourism’s performance is measured against indicators set out in its Annual Performance Plan, including governance stability, programme delivery, financial management, risk mitigation, and stakeholder confidence. The current leadership vacuum, operational shortcomings, and loss of private-sector trust directly undermine these core performance indicators.

The DA maintains that South Africa’s tourism sector cannot afford continued instability and denial. Urgent parliamentary intervention is required to restore accountability, stabilise leadership, and ensure that SA Tourism is capable of delivering on its mandate.