Minister of Tourism dissolves SA Tourism Board

Zuko Komisa

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has dissolved the SA Tourism Board.
The decision follows legal advice that the Board acted unlawfully by convening a special meeting without a chairperson.
An interim manager will be appointed while the process to select a new Board begins.

South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, has immediately dissolved the SA Tourism Board and removed all its members. The decision, effective from 19 August 2025, was made under section 16(3)(a) of the Tourism Act No. 3 of 2014, which permits the Minister to dissolve the Board for “good cause shown”.

According to a media statement, the dissolution follows legal advice received by the Minister, which concluded that a special Board meeting held on 1 August 2025 was convened unlawfully.

The Tourism Act and the Board Charter stipulate that only the Board Chairperson can convene such meetings.

However, the Chairperson, Professor Gregory Davids, had resigned on 31 July 2025, leaving the Board without the authority to lawfully convene the meeting.

The Minister had previously raised concerns with the Board about its failure to follow proper governance procedures. She will now initiate the process to appoint a new Board and will name an interim manager or managers to oversee the organisation’s affairs.

The Ministry has assured the public and the tourism sector that this development will not impact ongoing programmes, including the G20 summit collaboration and the upcoming Tourism Investment Summit. The department will also proceed with its planned Tourism Month activities, including the announcement of winners from a student hackathon.