President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed a proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate the South African Tourism (SA Tourism) Board over maladministration allegations.
This investigation will focus on the alleged irregular media buying contracts and payments for undelivered services at SA Tourism.
The proclamation covers allegations of unlawful and improper conduct that occurred between March 2020 and November 2025.
The SIU plans to probe the allegations of the procurement of media buying services linked with three particular invoices and purchase orders, along with payments made for services that were not rendered.
ALLEGED IRREGULAR MEDIA CONTRACTS SA TOURISM
The Spokesperson for the Special Investigating Unit, Kaizer Kganyago, revealed that the unit will assess whether the procurement adhered to the internal manuals, policies, and procedures of SA Tourism.
“The investigation will determine whether the media buying contracts and related payments were conducted in a manner that was not fair, competitive, transparent, equitable, or cost-effective,” Kganyago said in a statement.
The proclamation has also authorised the SIU to initiate civil proceedings in the High Court or a Special Tribunal to rectify any wrongdoing uncovered and recover financial losses suffered by the State.
“The SIU will investigate improper conduct by board officials, recover any financial losses suffered by the state and examine potential violations of applicable legislation, including instructions or guidelines issued by the National Treasury,” he said.
Kganyago says the SIU is mandated to investigate any related unauthorised, irregular, or fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by the Board or the State, with specific attention to payments made for media buying services that were not delivered.
“The scope of the investigation includes any irregular, unlawful, or improper conduct by officials or employees of SA Tourism, the applicable suppliers or service providers and any other person or entity involved in the alleged scheme involving media buying and services not rendered,” Kganyago said.
The SIU says it will refer any evidence of criminal conduct uncovered during its investigation to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for further action.
CHALLENGES IN THE SA TOURISM SECTOR
The Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, dissolved the board of the SA Tourism earlier this year, accusing it of breaching governance regulations.
This follows after the entity’s CEO, Nombulelo Guliwe was suspended.
Minister expressed concern about the board’s failure to follow governance procedures after they allegedly hosted an unlawful meeting in August.
The board denied de Lille’s claims of poor governance and unlawful conduct and accused de Lille of political interference.
The minister has been central to recent controversies surrounding the management of her department. SA Tourism has not yet responded to the SIU investigation.
