A pattern of tension between Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille and successive SA Tourism Boards is under scrutiny in Parliament with former Board leaders alleging their removal followed attempts to hold SA Tourism management accountable for alleged governance failures.
During this weeks meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, to discuss the most recent dissolving of the SA Tourism Board, former SA Tourism Board Chairperson Makhosazana Khanyile and Deputy Chairperson Lizelle Haskins alleged they were removed from their leadership positions in September 2024 after they initiated steps to end the CEOs contract.
Defamation allegationsKhanyile said: Our removal as Chairpersons was accompanied by public statements we believe were false, defamatory, distorted facts and caused harm to our reputations. The Ministers intention was to discredit us based on the work we had conducted and because we were effectively dealing with the maladministration within SA Tourism.