Tottenham Hotspur football club in London can expect a visit from representatives of the DA as the opposition party investigates a report about a proposed R1bn sponsorship deal using taxpayer money.
This after Daily Maverick newspaper reported on Wednesday it has documents which purport to show South African Tourism is preparing to ink a sponsorship deal with the English Premier League team.
“This is a slap in the face of every South African whose hard-earned tax money will be used to sponsor a first-world football team,” the DA said.
“It is also an insult for the South African tourism and travel sector which was decimated, and in many cases completely destroyed, during and post-Covid.”
DA MP Manny de Freitas said a delegation from DA Abroad has been designated to go to the club in London to ascertain the status of the deal and if money has exchanged hands.
He said the party intends to “oppose this lunacy”.
“This idea is even worse than the money allocated for the ANC’s comrades in Cuba, an effort that was stopped by Solidarity in the courts.
“Our country is in a power crisis. Consumers are being crushed by inflation. There is no way the ANC will be able to condone such a decision in the 2024 election, not even among its staunchest supporters,” De Freitas said.
The MP said the blue party will table the matter at the next tourism portfolio committee meeting, and will submit questions about how the decision was made and what studies have been undertaken to justify it.
“This money should rather be spent locally to improve our tourism sector so it can thrive, create jobs and contribute to the much-needed growth of our economy,” De Freitas said.
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DA to send delegation to Tottenham to get facts about ‘R1bn SA Tourism deal’
Image: Democratic Alliance Abroad
Tottenham Hotspur football club in London can expect a visit from representatives of the DA as the opposition party investigates a report about a proposed R1bn sponsorship deal using taxpayer money.
This after Daily Maverick newspaper reported on Wednesday it has documents which purport to show South African Tourism is preparing to ink a sponsorship deal with the English Premier League team.
“This is a slap in the face of every South African whose hard-earned tax money will be used to sponsor a first-world football team,” the DA said.
“It is also an insult for the South African tourism and travel sector which was decimated, and in many cases completely destroyed, during and post-Covid.”
DA MP Manny de Freitas said a delegation from DA Abroad has been designated to go to the club in London to ascertain the status of the deal and if money has exchanged hands.
He said the party intends to “oppose this lunacy”.
“This idea is even worse than the money allocated for the ANC’s comrades in Cuba, an effort that was stopped by Solidarity in the courts.
“Our country is in a power crisis. Consumers are being crushed by inflation. There is no way the ANC will be able to condone such a decision in the 2024 election, not even among its staunchest supporters,” De Freitas said.
The MP said the blue party will table the matter at the next tourism portfolio committee meeting, and will submit questions about how the decision was made and what studies have been undertaken to justify it.
“This money should rather be spent locally to improve our tourism sector so it can thrive, create jobs and contribute to the much-needed growth of our economy,” De Freitas said.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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