South African Tourism’s interim board says it stands behind newly appointed acting CEO Nomasonto Ndlovu in the face of a whistle-blower allegation that she accepted a bribe from Qatar Airways in the form of business class tickets, accommodation and Qatar World Cup tickets.
Newly appointed chairperson of the interim board, Tim Harris, said the board would continue to support Ndlovu at this critical time and believed the acting CEO followed due process in the matter, according to Moneyweb.
In an emailed response, Harris said: ‘The Board has been looking into the matter … and have established that the acting CEO followed a process for approvals to accept the invitation by Qatar Airways in 2022.’
Even so, Harris said, an investigation was under way into the anonymous allegation, which had been made on SA Tourism’s whistle-blower. The investigation would be led by audit firm KPMG.
Ndlovu replaces SA Tourism’s former acting CEO, Themba Khumalo, who resigned last week.
Khumalo’s resignation follows the controversy over SA Tourism’s – subsequently cancelled – R1 billion sponsorship deal with English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
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