Public concern builds as Lindiwe Sisulu confirms Spurs deal is on the table - but denies championing it

1 Feb 2023

Following Daily Maverick’s reporting on SA Tourism’s plan to spend nearly R1-billion sponsoring Tottenham Hotspur, the Minister of Tourism has confirmed that a proposal is on the table. A statement angrily denied that Lindiwe Sisulu herself had any personal interest in the deal. Meanwhile, public concern over the expenditure is building.

In a statement released by tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu on Wednesday morning, Sisulu termed the controversial R1-billion proposal to sponsor Tottenham Hotspur a “memorandum of understanding” between Spurs and SA Tourism.

Sisulu claimed that the proposal is “non-binding”.

This conflicts with the impression given by the documents in the possession of Daily Maverick, which give clear timelines for the deal — including an upfront fee payable by 31 March 2023.

A Powerpoint presentation in the name of acting SA Tourism CEO Themba Khumalo states that “all deliverables associated with this project” must be completed by the end of March in order to ensure “a valid expense against savings identified in the current year budget (rather than possibly returning it to National Treasury)”.

It states that the deal will be “100% activated on 1 July 2023”.

At no point in the two presentations seen by Daily Maverick is the plan referred to as a memorandum of understanding. Instead, it is clearly described as a “sponsorship partnership” and a “deal”.

Sisulu also stated that the proposal is yet to be approved by the Treasury. Daily Maverick understands, however, that the plan is for an agreement to be signed as soon as by the end of this week.

The statement from the tourism minister angrily denied that Sisulu herself had any personal interest in the deal, or was championing the signing of the agreement.

“Like any board, the [SA Tourism] board is independent and Minister Sisulu does not interfere with its decisions,” it stated.

Sisulu described Daily Maverick’s report as “riddled with inaccuracies and untruths aimed at tarnishing Minister Sisulu’s image”, and hinted that legal action might be forthcoming.

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Public outrage building over this proposed spending

Following the publication of the Daily Maverick report on the matter, public outrage has been building over the proposed expenditure, with some comparing it to the short-lived plan by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to erect a giant South African flag in Pretoria at a cost of R22-million.

Brand Africa chairman Thebe Ikalafeng called the proposal an “irresponsible use of tax”, on the grounds that South Africa is “already a known and leading destination in Africa”.

Terming the deal a “vanity investment”, Ikalafeng suggested the funds should be put towards “safety for travellers, lights and maintenance”.

A statement from the DA referred to the proposal as “a slap in the face of every South African whose hard-earned tax will be used to sponsor a first-world football team” and “an insult for the South African tourism and travel sector which was decimated, and in many cases completely destroyed, during and post Covid”.

The DA said it would be tabling the matter at the next tourism portfolio committee meeting in Parliament. The party also announced that it was sending a “delegation from DA Abroad” to go to Tottenham Hotspur’s headquarters in North London this week to enquire about the deal.

Spurs is due to play Manchester City at the club’s home stadium in London on Sunday.

The Freedom Front Plus stated on Wednesday morning that the party will be lodging a complaint about the proposed deal with the Public Protector, and suggested that the funds “must rather be used to mitigate the detrimental effects that the Covid-19 regulations had on small to medium-sized tourism enterprises”.

Others found the funny side with reference to Spurs’ dismal recent performance in the Premier League.

Well-known local cartoonist Carlos Amato observed on social media:

In Lindiwe's defence, this deal to put "Visit SA" on the Spurs shirt does have the virtue of seamless brand alignment. Both Spurs & the SA state are defined by decades of waste & underachievement, and both are spearheaded by a guy who collapses whenever an opponent touches him.

— Carlos Amato (@CarlosCartoons) February 1, 2023

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Public outrage building over this proposed spending