Ramaphosa frowns upon Tottenham Hotspurs sponsorship deal

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The presidency has poured cold water on the department of tourism’s controversial push for SA Tourism to sign a sponsorship deal worth almost R1 billion with English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur.

“Even though the presidency has not been briefed, we do not think spending so much money in the manner that is being suggested is justified,” President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya told Mail & Guardian on Tuesday.

Magwenya added that the president had no intention of addressing the matter during his State of the Nation address on Thursday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu had a fractious exchange with the portfolio committee on tourism during a briefing on the proposal. In a video credited to Newzroom Afrika, the minister can be heard deferring to the president, saying that the proposed sponsorship was a matter of national interest and that Ramaphosa had the final decision.

The chairperson of the committee, Tandi Mahambehlala, accused her of breaching protocol by directly addressing committee members and reminded her that all executives, including the president, were accountable to parliament

The exchange further suggested that Ramaphosa had put his foot down on the proposed deal.

Sisulu arrived at the meeting late and issued a statement to point out that this was because she had first attended a meeting of cabinet committees, which, like the portfolio committee meeting, began at 9am.

In her statement, Sisulu said she wished to reiterate that she supported the oversight role of the committee as an extension of the legislature.

Sisulu’s advisor Steve Motale said the proposed deal was not discussed at the meeting of cabinet committees.

“The minister told the portfolio committee that the deal still has to go through the treasury for scrutiny after which she will brief the president,” he said on Tuesday evening.

Her office has denied reports that she had been personally championing the deal, with press releases noting that she respected the independence of the board of SA Tourism. She has also insisted that the proposal remained non-binding at this stage.

It was reported that SA Tourism acting chief executive Themba Khumalo was pushing for the deal, which would commit the entity to £42.5 million over three years, to be concluded before the end of March, in other words before the end of the financial year.

It was also reported that the plan was for it to be announced during the State of the Nation address on Thursday, hence the significance of the presidency’s assurance that there would be no mention of it.

Khumalo has rejected suggestions that a contract was as good as a done deal, while confirming that it was conditionally approved by the board a week ago.

He added that although the board’s decision is still an internal document, “the condition was we believe that this makes commercial sense, but can you go and align with all stakeholders, including the minister, the director-general, treasury and provinces”.

SA Tourism last week saw the resignation of three board members, Enver Duminy, Ravi Nadasen and Rosemary Anderson.

Sisulu is widely expected to exit when Ramaphosa announces his cabinet reshuffle.