South African Tourism has a new Acting CEO. This after the Board resolved to withdraw Nomasonto Ndlovu’s position as Acting CEO with immediate effect.

Chief Financial Officer, Nombulelo Guliwe, is to fulfil the acting role while the recruitment of a full-time CEO is ongoing.

Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille, has concurred with this decision.

This decision was announced by SA Tourism Board Chairperson, Tim Harris, today (Friday, September 8).

On May 9 (as Africa’s Travel Indaba was underway in Durban), media reports highlighted allegations against Ndlovu who had been announced as CEO just two days earlier. The allegations, lodged on the SA Tourism hotline by an anonymous whistle-blower in January 2023, are based on a trip undertaken in December 2022.

Harris said that, following an initial inquiry, the Board made the decision to retain Ndlovu in her acting position subject to the completion of an investigation that had been initiated through Internal Audit, prior to the Board’s term of office.

The investigation, by an outsourced forensic investigator, was to determine whether all internal policies, as well as the prescripts of the Public Finance Management Act, had been followed.

Harris said: “The Board has received and deliberated on the investigator’s report that recommends that appropriate remedial action is initiated relating to the conduct of three investigated individuals, including Ndlovu. The Board resolved to accept the report’s recommendations and delegate them to the Human Capital and Remuneration Committee of the Board for implementation.”

Ndlovu reverts to her position as the Chief Operations Officer for the entity.