Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has revealed that a staggering R35 million linked to irregular payments for services not rendered has been returned to the SA Tourism account. The official tourism marketing agency of South Africa, SA Tourism, found that several irregular payments were made by its US and South Africa offices, with invoices created just days before the end of the previous financial year.
De Lille expressed shock at the discovery, stating that the payments did not meet compliance standards and were processed to override banking controls. The Minister disclosed that former executives processed these payments, which were later found to be for services not yet provided at the time of disbursement.
Following an internal review, it was confirmed that a significant sum was paid to a media agency for services that were never rendered. De Lille emphasized the gravity of the situation, calling the actions of those involved unacceptable and a violation of public finance laws.
In response to the irregularities, communication was initiated with the media agency to recover the R35 million. De Lille expressed relief that all the money has been returned and assured that the Auditor-General of South Africa is conducting an audit on the SA Tourism New York office.
The Minister reiterated her commitment to holding those responsible for the irregular payments to account, with the internal audit report being finalized and the matter reported to the Auditor-General for further investigation. The return of the funds marks a significant step towards rectifying the financial misconduct within SA Tourism.