De Lille at loggerheads with SA Tourism Board over suspension of CEO Nombulelo Guliwe

The Board of South African Tourism (SA Tourism) has placed CEO Nombulelo Guliwe on precautionary suspension effective immediately, following serious allegations of misconduct.

However, the Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille's office has declared the board's decision null and void since it no longer has a chairperson nor a deputy chairperson.

SA Tourism is the national tourism agency responsible for the marketing of South Africa as a preferred tourist destination.

The action taken by the nine-member Board underscores the gravity of the situation as they embark on a thorough investigation into the claims against Guliwe.

Guliwe, a qualified Chartered Accountant, was appointed to the CEO position for a five-year period in February 2024 following a comprehensive recruitment process.

In nearly 10 years with the organisation, Guliwe has served in various leadership roles throughout her career including chief financial officer at SA Tourism since August 2019.

In a brief statement in response to this suspension, the department said De Lille has noted the decision by the board and said it was "unlawful".

"As of 31 July 2025, the South African Tourism Board does not have a board chairperson following the resignation of Professor Gregory Davids. This means, the board in its current form is not properly constituted to take such a resolution," said the department.

"Minister de Lille, remains committed to ensuring the adherence to sound governance principles at South African Tourism and will address the above with the board." 

According to sources close to the matter, De Lille has written to board and given it until 8pm on Thursday night to explain why it should not be dissolved.

SA Tourism is no stranger to controversy when it comes to its leadership. 

In May 2023, Themba Khumalo resigned as SA Tourism chief marketing officer and acting CEO at the back of the organisation being thrust in the spotlight over a R1 billion sponsorship deal with English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

In a bid to replace Khumalo, the board appointed Nomasonto Ndlovu as acting CEO but she quickly withdrew after a whistle-blower called the SA Tourism hotline to report that Ndlovu had allegedly accepted a R100 000 bribe from Qatar Airlines for flights in business class, accommodation and World Cup tickets.

After Ndlovu's withdrawal, the board appointed Guliwe as acting CEO in September 2023, and then as permanent CEO at the end of February 2024. 

Under Guliwe's tenure, SA Tourism was recently plunged into a tender scandal after allegations of irregularities in the awarding of a R100 million tender to Pomme Express, a company reported to have failed to show proof of experience and alleged to have provided false and misleading information in its bid toorganise Meetings Africa 2025 and Africa’s Travel Indaba 2025.

To maintain seamless business continuity during this transitional phase, the board in a statement said an interim acting CEO will be appointed in conjunction with the Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille.

Democratic Alliance spokesperson on tourism, Haseena Ismail, said the party was "deeply concerned" by allegations of misconduct against the CEO of SA Tourism.

Ismail said SA Tourism, which takes up the vast majority of the department's budget, has been a consistent problem for tourism in South Africa.

"The investigation into these allegations must be independent, transparent, and swift. We cannot repeat the experience of having acting CEO after acting CEO, with none steadying the ship at SA Tourism," Ismail said.

"Despite overspending on its already-significant budget, it failed to meet 11% of its performance targets last year. These are not the hallmarks of an agency in good health. The Minister must act quickly to steady the ship, at the risk of allowing SA Tourism yet another year of substandard performance." 

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