By: Natasha Archary
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tourism has made it clear, the R1 billion Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship deal ends now.
However, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu isn’t having it and says the decision falls into the hands of President Cyril Ramaphosa and not that of the committee.
Sisulu says because the matter is one of national interest, only Ramaphosa can have the final say.
Butting heads in Parliament during the Tourism Department’s presentation on Tuesday, 07 February, Committee Chairperson Tandi Mahambehlala was clear about the ridiculous deal.
“It ends here today, now! That deal is off. It should not even begin.”
Mahambelala said that should Sisulu continue pushing that the deal be passed, the committee would write to Treasury and the President, requesting that the funds be allocated elsewhere.
Earlier this week, the Daily Maverick reported that Lindiwe Sisulu is trying to push the deal through before she is removed from the tourism position.
Sisulu responded saying the reported was riddled with untruths and inaccuracies, saying she had not even been briefed about the deal by the SA Tourism Board.
But her defensiveness over the deal at the presentation led many to question whether there was any truth to the report by the Daily Maverick.
If approved, the deal would mean the English Football Club receives R1 billion from South Africa over the next 3-years.
According to Sisulu, the deal would mean South Africa would be marketed to international tourists on a larger scale.
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