Tourism: Much needs to be done to reverse the terrible legacy of Lindiwe Sisulu
9 June 20234
In the Tourism Portfolio Committee this week, it was revealed that the representative of the Tourism Department that sat on the South African Tourism (SAT) board, never reported back to the Department on SAT board matters.
In addition, the legally required departmental representative attended SAT board meetings without any mandates from the department. Current Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille assured the Portfolio Committee that this would change and that a departmental representative would not only attend SAT board meetings, but that the representative would brief the department and would attend board meetings with mandates from the department on the various issues.
This fact explains how it was that the R1 billion Tottenham Hotspur deal got as advanced as it did “without detection” and was almost signed had it not reached the public spotlight.
Had there been a properly constituted departmental representative at the SAT board that reported back and briefed the department, the Tottenham Hotspur matter may well have been squashed at an early stage.