Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Jóhni Steenkamp
The DA has formally written to the chairperson of the Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism (DEDECT) Portfolio Committee, Mpho Khunou, requesting an urgent summons of the MEC of DEDECT, acting Head of Department (HOD), and the Board of the North West Parks and Tourism Board (NWPTB) to appear before the committee. (See attached letter.)
This after the failure of the NWPTB to pay employees their salaries. This was confirmed in a memo circulated to employees earlier this week. (See attached memo).
The NWPTB has faced numerous challenges over the years, including poor governance, instability in board leadership, inability to generate revenue, and outright corruption. In 2023, the ANC used its majority to push through a controversial decision to merge the previously separate Parks Board and Tourism Board. At the time, the DA cautioned against this move, highlighting that both entities were already struggling with unresolved historical issues.
The failure to pay salaries is yet another example of the broader dysfunctionality of provincial entities and poor oversight exercised by the responsible departments.
The MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism (DEDECT), Bitsa Lenkopane, along with the Acting HOD Relebohile Mafokane, must explain how the Board and the Acting CEO of the NWPTB failed to foresee this crisis. The inability of an entity to allocate its funds correctly is not coincidental but is a result of mismanagement and avoidable systemic failures.
The MEC, HOD, the Board of the NWPTB, and the Acting CEO must be held accountable.
Their appearance before the committee must thoroughly examine the performance of the NWPTB and investigate how funds intended for salaries were spent. The NWPTB is a strategic government entity with immense potential, yet it remains underutilised due to poor management and weak oversight.
The DA will continue to monitor this situation closely and demand accountability from the relevant stakeholders to ensure that this crisis is resolved and accounted for.