South Africans are sick and tired of SAT

16 February 2023

The decision of SA Tourism (SAT) to forge ahead with its plan to spend nearly one billion rand on the sponsorship of a foreign soccer club, the British Tottenham Hotspur, is outrageous.

The fact that the SAT chairperson, Thozamile Botha, made it abundantly clear that they are proceeding with the process, despite wide opposition from the public and even the Presidency, speaks of boundless arrogance.

South Africans across the board have over the last two weeks been very vocal about the fact that they are sick and tired of SAT's plans to spend their hard-earned tax money on a senseless sponsorship.

It has meanwhile come to light that similar sponsorship agreements between the club and, among others, the car dealer Cinch cost R60 million less per year than the estimated cost of its proposed agreement with SAT.

It is also known that a consortium is currently preparing an offer to buy the club, so there is a possibility that Tottenham Hotspur will have new owners in the near future.

Spending any more time, money or energy on the project under these circumstances is irrational.

SAT's conduct demonstrates that it believes it cannot be held accountable for its reckless spending of tax money.

It also confirms the FF Plus's stance that the Minister of Tourism, Lindiwe Sisulu, and her ministry are utterly unable to exercise any control or oversight over the entities under their charge.

The ministry is superfluous and must be dissolved.

The FF Plus will send an official letter to the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, demanding that SAT must be ordered to stop the sponsorship process, and that stringent control must be exercised over any of the entity's spending on projects.

South Africans deserve better than the ANC.

Issued by Michael Groenewald, FF Plus MP and chief spokesperson: Tourism, 16 February 2023