February 6 – Three South Africa Tourism (SAT) board members are reported to have resigned following public outrage over a proposed £42.5 million three-year sponsorship of English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
Leaked documents obtained by a South African newspaper have sparked widespread controversy within the country, with many arguing the money would be better spent on urgent national issues.
The deal, designed to boost tourism through advertising and marketing exposure, has dominated the South African media in recent days but SAT acting chief executive Themba Khumalo defended the agreement.
At a briefing, Khumalo said although SAT had not yet signed a contract, it would do so after it had gone through the necessary government processes.
Khumalo said the controversy generated by the sum of 1billion rand was misplaced since the money would have been spent marketing South Africa overseas whether or not the proposal was signed.
“Money that is invested in tourism is not the same money that’s required for energy; it’s not the same amount of money that’s required for potholes,” he told a media briefing.
Khumalo said while there was no signed contract as yet, the board – which sits under the auspices of the government – had conditionally approved the proposed deal, due to start at the beginning of the 2023-24 Premier League season, after travelling to London in January.
But, he stressed, many of the various stakeholders had still to be contacted.
“We’ve got to be sensitive to what our partners are saying and make sure that everybody is on board, then we can move together holistically. So that is where the deal is right now.”
The Congress of South Africa Trade Unions (Cosatu), the country’s biggest trade union federation, labelled the proposed deal as an insult to struggling workers and taxpayers.
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