Despite the tourism department’s rubbishing claims that Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is set to pull the plug on the almost R1 billion SA Tourism deal, experts say this is the best option – or he risks putting the final tip in the coffin of his political career.
Following reports that Sisulu will strike a deal to sponsor English football club Tottenham Hotspur, Sisulu spokesperson Steve Motale said they are now moving to the next stage of their proposed sponsorship.
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“The minister met with the council yesterday, but we do not want to entertain rumours. Someone wrote about this rumor that was picked up somewhere.
“I can tell you that the minister met with the council in a very detailed six-hour meeting and he gave that summary.
“Now the next step is to brief the president and the announcement will be made,” Motale said.
The deal does not benefit ordinary citizens
Political analyst Professor Andre Duvenhage said that apart from the deal not benefiting ordinary citizens or the country in general, “coming from the biggest enemy of President Cyril Ramaphosa (Sisulu) I think this could be a political death sentence for him”.
“Ramaphosa is against the deal and I can’t see him continuing to do this while fighting corruption. And I think we will see this sooner rather than later.”
“I can’t see Sisulu justifying his position. I can’t see the advantages. I can only see the possible interpretation and the perception of this about corruption,” said Duvenhage.
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The presidency is not for deals
On Friday, the Presidency said it had not been briefed on the proposed deal, with Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya noting the president had no plans to announce it in his state of the nation address on Thursday.
“Although the Presidency has not been briefed, we do not think spending the money in the manner suggested will be justified,” Magwenya said.
Three board members resigned
Three Tourism board members resigned on Friday, following the controversy, worth £42.5 million (about R894.5 million) for three years of brand sponsorship, starting in July. Enver Duminy, Ravy Nadasen and Rosemary Anderson handed in their resignations.
He noted that due to differences of opinion, he decided to resign from the board.
The chairman of the board, Aubrey Mhlongo, thanked him for his hard work during his tenure and wished him every success in the future.
Also read: Sisulu announces cancellation of R1bn Spurs SA Tourism deal – report
DA accuses SA Tourism CFO of cashing in on Spurs deal
Democratic Alliance (DA) tourism shadow minister Manny de Freitas said SA Tourism’s interim finance officer has ties to the agency that will provide the money for the Spurs deal, making this meeting important and critical.
“The press briefing by Themba Khumalo, the acting CEO of SA Tourism, has left more questions than answers,” said De Freitas.
“The DA will ask for answers, among other things, if minister Sisulu knows about the deal. We also want to confirm the exact figures involved in this deal.
He said the DA believed that sports teams were not needed to promote South Africa.
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“This money should be used to buy solar to reduce the load, or to tourism infrastructure. Sports teams are not required for state promotion.
The loss of load must be resolved, which will easily bring tourism back to our shores,” said De Freitas.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Khumalo said the sponsorship deal would go ahead as planned, saying he had not yet received instructions to withdraw from the deal. – reitumetsem@citizen.co.za