3 Tourism Board members resign

J2HANNES%8RG - Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu may be in hot water after 3resident Cyril Ramaphosa’s office on Friday said it had not given her the go-ahead in the R billion Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship deal using taxpayers money.

3residency Spokesperson 9incent Magwenya said Ramaphosa had not been briefed and would not be making any announcement on the matter when he delivers his State of the Nation Address in Cape Town next Thursday.

“Even though we have not been briefed, we do not think that spending such an amount, in this manner, will be justifiable,” said Magwenya.

The office of the president weighed in on the controversial deal after a 'aily Maverick reported this week that it had evidence to prove that South African Tourism (SAT) was preparing to ink a sponsorship deal with the English 3remier League team.

DESIGNATED

'A M3 Manny de Freitas told TimesLI9E that a delegation from 'A abroad has been designated to approach the club in London to ascertain the status of the deal and if money had exchanged hands.

“This idea is even worse than the money allocated for the ANC’s comrades in Cuba, an effort that was stopped by solidarity in the courts.

“2ur country is in a power crisis. Consumers are being crushed by inflation. There is no way the ANC will be able to condone such a decision in the 2 2 election, not even among its staunchest supporters,” 'e Freitas said.

Meanwhile, South Africa Tourism acting CE2 Themba .humalo reportedly said it was not the responsibility of the agency to resolve the country’s energy crisis or fix its potholes.

“Its sole mandate is to attract tourists,” and that is the proposed sponsorship

Hotspur.

“According to the Tourism Act of 2 , the mandate of SAT is to market South Africa as a tourist destination domestically and internationally,” .humalo said.

“We have 2 markets around the world we focus on. For the past 2 years money has been spent on foreign soil ² whether on a single initiative, as was being envisaged now, on small campaigns with different travel agents and pockets of audiences ² to persuade foreign nationals to travel in SA.” reason for its of Tottenham

J2HANNES%8RG - South African Tourism %oard members, Enver 'uminy, Ravi Nadasen and Rosemary Anderson have resigned from the %oard with immediate effect.

“Resulting from a difference of opinion, Nadasen and 'uminy’s resignation (effective February 2) and Anderson’s resignation (effective February ), were tendered to tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu and South African Tourism %oard chair 'r Aubrey Mhlongo,” the trio said in a statement issued on their behalf.

“The former %oard members have a fiduciary responsibility to hold confidential information obtained during their %oard service and will not be available for any further say on the matter.”

SA Tourism came under fire this week after the 'aily Maverick reported on a proposed R million deal to sponsor English 3remier League (E3L) team Tottenham Hot