'You went public on the Spurs deal before speaking to us,' SAT board tells De Lille

The South African Tourism board has written to its minister Patricia De Lille expressing unhappiness that she went public, announcing the Tottenham Hotspur sleeve sponsorship proposal had been cancelled. 

In a letter to De Lille, seen by TimesLIVE, board chairperson Thozamile Botha addressed questions the minister posed on the deal which sparked a public outcry. 

Botha said when the board resolved to approve the transaction at its meeting on January 31, it was aware it would still need approval from the minister and National Treasury before the deal could become “legally binding”. 

“It is the board’s considered view that in light of the minister’s public pronunciation that she advises the board not to proceed with the transaction, the anticipated budget adjustment and approval as well as application for ministerial approval of the transaction is now moot.

“The board will no longer proceed with the transaction, nor will it seek the requisite approval for the proposed transaction. This is based on the statements made by the minister in the media. She has pre-empted the response to the required approval as she has advised the media that the transaction ought to be cancelled.” 

The board would have expected the minister to engage it directly, including considering this response before expressing her views publicly.

“Be that as it may, the board hopes that in the spirit of adhering to the consultative processes of the protocol on corporate governance in the public sector the minister will still engage with it on this response and any other issues arising from the matter in future.”

Last week, De Lille announced in a press briefing she had advised the board to halt all processes regarding the R910m sponsorship deal with the English Premier League football club.

Her decision was based on numerous factors, including the amount that would be spent, the public outcry and certain processes which weren’t followed.

She said after her appointment she sought legal advice on the deal, which revealed it was in contravention of the Public Finance Management Act and irregular.  

There was a huge public outcry about a government agency spending so much money while the nation faced “more serious” problems such as load-shedding and high unemployment. 

Criticism of the agency further intensified when there were allegations that acting CFO Johan van der Walt had a conflict of interests with a company set to benefit from the transaction. 

Van der Walt later resigned. 

In her response to TimesLIVE, De Lille said: “I believe in transparency. They have to learn this is the way I operate. They must get used to it that we follow the law. It is up to them, in terms of the law, to approach me. Since March 6 when I joined the department I have requested a report from them.

“They must show you proof that they have reached out to me, asking for a meeting to brief me on this. I am not going to argue with the board in public ... This thing is done and dusted. It is over and gone. It is dead,” she added.

TimesLIVE

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