South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, has announced the immediate dissolution of the South African Tourism (SA Tourism) Board in terms of section 16(3)(a) of the Tourism Act No. 3 of 2014 (“the Act”), citing governance failures and unlawful procedures. The decision, which also removes all current board members in terms of section 16(1) of the Act, was communicated to the members on 19 August 2025, following her review of their written submissions.
The Minister informed members of the Board of her decision on 19 August 2025, following consideration of their written representations as to why the Board should not be dissolved. In their written representations dated 14 August 2025, the Board members failed to address the important issue about the legality of the procedure followed by the Board when it convened a special Board meeting on 01 August 2025 at which the unlawful resolution was taken.
According to legal advice provided to the Minister, the special meeting was convened unlawfully. Section 18(2) of the Act empowers only the Board Chairperson to convene such meetings, a provision reinforced by clause 9.1.2 of the Board Charter adopted on 16 April 2024. With no Chairperson in place following the resignation of Professor Gregory Davids on 31 July 2025, the Board nevertheless went ahead with the meeting, thereby acting unlawfully and beyond its powers.
The press statement added that the Minister had previously cautioned the Board on multiple occasions about the consequences of failing to follow due process. On 04 July 2025, in a meeting with the Board, followed by a letter dated 13 July 2025, she expressed her concerns. In response, the Board assured the Minister in a letter dated 22 July 2025 that interventions were in place, stating: “enhancements have and will ensure that all meetings are properly constituted, chaired, and documented ….”
The Minister emphasised that the Board, created in terms of section 13 of the Act, must act within the enabling statute and the principle of legality enshrined in section 1(c) of the Constitution.
Going forward, the Minister will initiate the process to appoint a new Board in terms of section 13(3) of the Act, and in the interim, will appoint one or more persons to manage the Board’s affairs under section 16(3).
Assuring stakeholders, the Minister said that these developments will not impact ongoing programmes, including SA Tourism’s collaboration with the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, to deliver a successful G20 summit. She further noted her commitment, communicated to TBCSA and industry stakeholders on 19 August 2025, to lead the implementation of the Tourism Growth Partnership Plan.
 Board in terms of section 16(3)(a) of the Tourism Act No. 3 of 2014 (“the Act”), citing governance failures and unlawful procedures. The decision, which also removes all current board members in terms of section 16(1) of the Act, was communicated to the members on 19 August 2025, following her review of their written submissions.){kind=link}