End of the road for Spurs deal?
Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is set to pull the plug on the R900m SA Tourism (SAT) deal to sponsor English football side Tottenham Hotspur. This follows crisis talks with weekend meetings with the board of SAT.
It is reported that an urgent meeting of the Tourism Portfolio Committee to discuss the matter will be held today.
The Star reports that DA MP Manny de Freitas said the meeting would afford the committee the opportunity to interrogate SAT on the deal. Among the items to be discussed are the admission by SAT interim CFO Johan van der Walt to having ties to an agency named in original documents relating to the sponsorship deal.
This despite acting SAT CEO Themba Khumalo categorically telling reporters on Thursday that no agencies were involved in facilitating the deal.
De Freitas said: ‘The revelation that SA Tourism’s interim CFO has ties to the agency that would cash in on this deal, makes this meeting urgent and critical.’
National Freedom Party leader Ahmed Munzoor Shaik-Emam said: ‘This revelation reeks of possible corruption and casts doubt over the entire process. While we support innovative initiatives to attract tourism to SA, the controversy regarding the link between the CFO and the agency suggests something untoward has taken place.’
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
