De Lille must step in and appoint new SAT Acting CEO

22 May 2023

For the first time ever, I received a response to correspondence sent to South African Tourism (SAT). The recently-appointed Chair of the SAT Interim Board, Tim Harris, replied to my correspondence where I queried the SAT Interim Board’s supportive stance for their recently-appointed Acting CEO, Nomasonto Ndlovu, despite the allegations of corruption against her.

Harris’ correspondence claims that “The interim board was not aware of the allegations at that stage” [when allegations were made public] and that the SAT Board had agreed to keep Ndlovu on as SAT Acting CEO anyway.

A simple online search will reveal that Ndlovu, who was the Tshwane strategic director of communications, marketing and events in 2014, was involved in the ill-fated Dinokeng TribeOne three-day music Festival which was scheduled to take place in Cullinan in September 2014. The festival was cancelled at the last minute, despite millions having been spent. Ndlovu left the City of Tshwane in 2017 amid investigations into allegations that over R40 million had been misused in preparation for the music concert and joined Limpopo Tourism as its CEO.

When the Limpopo appointment was made public, former mayoral spokesperson under ANC rule, Blessing Manale, wrote that “Limpopo Tourism appointed the most controversial CEO in its history. She was the chief organiser of the aborted Nicki Minaj Dinokeng Festival in Tshwane.”

Given all the controversy surrounding Nomasonto Ndlovu, I call on The Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille, to step in and appoint a new Acting CEO. Under the circumstances, it is crucial that any appointments to SAT be completely above suspicion. After the recent Tottenham scandal, this entity cannot afford to have a CEO over whose head hangs a cloud of mismanagement and allegations of corruption.

Issued by Manny de Freitas, DA Shadow Minister of Tourism, 22 May 2023