SA Tourism CEO Nombulelo Guliwe remains suspended amid board upheaval

The Department of Tourism has announced that the South African Tourism (SA Tourism) CEO, Nombulelo Guliwe, will remain suspended despite the minister ruling that the board's decision was unlawful. 

This decision comes as the Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, dissolved the board of directors of SA Tourism after it failed to convince her as to why it should remain in office following its decision to suspend Guliwe for misconduct. 

"The precautionary suspension of the SA Tourism CEO remains in effect," De Lille's spokesperson, Aldrin Sampear, told Business Report on Wednesday.

"The minister will meet with the new board members who will be appointed in the interim, to discuss the appointment of an acting CEO at SA Tourism." 

De Lille had given the nine-member board until Thursday night last week to explain why it should not be dissolved because, in its current form, it was not properly constituted to take such a resolution since it had no chairperson following the resignation of Professor Gregory Davids last month.

The remaining members of the SA Tourism board were Judi Nwokedi, Miller Matola, Ikaneng Pilane, Maija de Rijk-Uys, Tumelo Selikane, Ayanda Mazibuko, Jonathan Gadiah, Lawson Naidoo and Rachel Nxele.

In a letter addressed to individual board members on Tuesday night and seen by Business Report, De Lille cited legal grounds for her decision to remove directors and dissolve the board. 

“I have considered your written representations and have taken a decision to remove you from the Board of South African Tourism in terms of section 16(1) of the Tourism Act No.3 of 2014 effective immediately,” De Lille wrote.

“As a consequence of this, I have also taken a decision to dissolve the board effective immediately in terms of section 16(3) of the Act.” 

In a statement on Wednesday, she also asserted that the board acted unlawfully and overstepped its powers by taking the resolution to suspend Guliwe without following established protocols.  

"According to legal advice to the Minister, the special board meeting of 01 August 2025 was convened unlawfully. Section 18(2) of the Act empowers only the board chairperson to convene a special board meeting," read the statement.

"This exclusive power given to the chairperson of the board is further confirmed by clause 9.1.2 of Board Charter which was adopted on 16 April 2024.

"As of 01 August 2025, the board had no chairperson to lawfully convene a special board meeting following the resignation of Professor Gregory Davids the day before (31 July 2025). But this notwithstanding, the board elected to convene a special board meeting and in doing so, the Board acted unlawfully and ultra vires its powers." 

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

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 to organise Meetings Africa 2025 and Africa’s Travel Indaba 2025.

De Lille said she was in the process of filling the vacant positions of the board and will be embarking on the process to appoint an interim structure as required by law.

"The Minister shall, in terms of section 13(3) of the Act, initiate the process to appoint a new Board and will invite nominations of eligible persons in due course.

"In the interim, the Minister shall, in terms of section 16(3) of the Act, appoint one or more persons to manage the affairs of the Board until the new Board is appointed."

On Tuesday, the Institute of Directors in South Africa (IoDSA) warned that the decision to dissolve the board of SA Tourism raised governance red flags.

IoDSA CEO Parmi Natesan said when a chairperson steps down, continuity mechanisms should exist, adding that the guiding policies and processes should provide for someone to act in this key leadership role so that the functioning of the board can continue seamlessly.

Natesan said while a Board Charter documents the role, responsibilities, membership requirements and procedural conduct of the board, it cannot override the board’s statutory and fiduciary duties in terms of the law.

"King IV is clear that the governing body should appoint the CEO, and that the CEO should be accountable to the governing body. It naturally follows that the board may also, in its discretion, suspend or remove a CEO, provided this is carried out in line with fair labour practices," Natesan said.

"It is concerning if any boards feel that fulfilling their statutory duties could lead to their own dissolution. Effective governance requires that boards be empowered and trusted to carry out their roles without fear."

BUSINESS REPORT