During a press briefing, SA Tourism’s acting CEO Themba Khumalo said there was no signed contract but the deal had been “partially” approved by the agency's board.
Khumalo said the deal has nothing to do with football but the economic impact of tourism.
He said it was nothing new for SA Tourism to spend millions on foreign marketing, as had been done in previous years.
“We are in the business of persuading foreign nationals across 24 markets around the world that we have identified travel to South Africa and spend money in our economy.
“They bring foreign investment into our country, which creates job, supports SMMEs, supports young people to come into the sector and drives people with disabilities to have the dignity of a livelihood and recover the economy in general,” said Khumalo.
According to the DA, the tourism portfolio committee will hold an urgent meeting this month to discuss the controversial deal.
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DA wants Godongwana to use R1bn Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship to buy Eskom diesel
The DA wants finance minister Enoch Godongwana to request that the almost R1bn sponsorship of English Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur be immediately reallocated to buy diesel for Eskom to lower the stage of load-shedding.
DA MP and shadow minister of finance Dion George said the party will write to Godongwana in a bid to stop the planned sponsorship by SA Tourism.
George said National Treasury has repeatedly claimed there is no additional money for diesel.
“That the ANC government has R1bn to waste on a foreign soccer sponsorship belies this claim. The money must immediately be relocated and used to alleviate load-shedding before it is wasted,” he said.
“Treasury, as the custodian of the national purse, is obliged to exercise its powers in terms of the Public Finance Management Act and relevant Treasury regulations on public expenditure to refuse authorisation of the deal between SA Tourism and Tottenham Hotspur.
“No spin and pontification can justify R1bn being spent on such a deal in a country with a 32.9% unemployment rate, a crippling energy crisis, and thousands of South Africans going to bed hungry every night.”
During a press briefing, SA Tourism’s acting CEO Themba Khumalo said there was no signed contract but the deal had been “partially” approved by the agency's board.
Khumalo said the deal has nothing to do with football but the economic impact of tourism.
He said it was nothing new for SA Tourism to spend millions on foreign marketing, as had been done in previous years.
“We are in the business of persuading foreign nationals across 24 markets around the world that we have identified travel to South Africa and spend money in our economy.
“They bring foreign investment into our country, which creates job, supports SMMEs, supports young people to come into the sector and drives people with disabilities to have the dignity of a livelihood and recover the economy in general,” said Khumalo.
According to the DA, the tourism portfolio committee will hold an urgent meeting this month to discuss the controversial deal.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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