In a letter addressed to Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille, SA Tourism board chair Thozamile Botha said the three-year R900 million rand sponsorship deal was still in its discussion phase before it was leaked to the media.
JOHANNESBURG – SA Tourism said that there is no legally binding agreement between it and Tottenham Hotspur.
In a letter addressed to Tourism Minister, Patricia de Lille, SA Tourism board chair Thozamile Botha said the multimillion-rand sponsorship deal was still in its discussion phase before it was leaked to the media.
Earlier this year, the Daily Maverick reported that SA Tourism was considering a sponsorship deal with the English football club that would cost over R900 million over three years.
During a media briefing in Pretoria on Friday, de Lille announced that she had received legal advice that the proposed sponsorship deal was unlawful and invalid.
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In a letter dated March 24, Botha told de Lille that the board only gave conditional approval to the deal.
Botha said the approval was subject to consultation and approval by the Minister of Tourism, Treasury and other relevant stakeholders.
He said the legal advice de Lille received that the deal is unlawful is incorrect because there is no deal in place.
Botha said the board had planned on instituting proper procurement processes only once all stakeholders had agreed on the deal.
De Lille has asked the board to cancel the proposed sponsorship deal or provide her with reasons by next Thursday on why it should not be cancelled.
