The dissolution of SAT Board is an opportunity for a fresh start

19 April 2023

The decision by the Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lillie, to dissolve the South African Tourism (SAT) Board is a step in the right direction. A new board is an ideal opportunity for SAT to start fresh. The new board must comprise of individuals who have the expertise, knowledge and interest of tourism at heart, and not of particular corporate interests.

The manner in which the recent Tottenham Hotspur debacle was handled by the dissolved board, as well as the over R2.5 million that they spent on themselves in recent years, are prime examples of how not to address and handle an issue, where the interests of tourism and the sector simply did not feature.

Despite the dissolution of the SAT board, I will still pursue the possibility of a parliamentary inquiry into the Tottenham matter as, despite the deal being squashed, questions remain unanswered as to how this whole saga got as far as it did.

SAT and its future board should be laser-focused on growing tourism on the ground, doing whatever it possibly can to assist the sector to completely recover from the pandemic and now to also overcome the economic hardships it continues to experience as the screws get tightened on our economy.

The DA supports any action that will work towards the good, growth and development of tourism which in turn will create much-needed jobs and contribute to the essential growth of the economy.

Issued by Manny de Freitas, DA Shadow Minister of Tourism, 19 April 2023