Publications
24 March 11:36
De Lille says there is no concluded deal signed and therefore based on the info she had received, the board approved the proposed deal subject to consultation with the minister of tourism.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:35
Khumalo says they are responsible to market the country on an international stage and recover international travel and drive domestic tourism to pre-Covid levels.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:31
Khumalo says De Lille has written to the board and requested a response by next week Wednesday. He says he is not in a position to comment on the contents of the letter.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:29
SA Tourism acting CEO Themba Khumalo will now answer some of the questions.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:29
De Lille says she would report about the issues of the Tourism SA board at a later stage.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:26
She says she has considered the deal and also considered the outcry of the public.
"My advice to the board, considering all the factors and the priorities we need in our country, we owe the public an explanation. My advice to the board is to stop the deal immediately," she says.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:23
De Lille said she had received a number of questions from Parliament about the composition of the Tourism SA board. She says she would engage the board as to what transpired.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:23
De Lille says she did not receive figures on the costs spent on the deal.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:21
De Lille: "As a country, when we enter into such massive partnerships, it is vital that we are able to be fully accountable, that we are transparent and can answer South Africans clearly and honestly."
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:20
De Lille says that based on the Board Chairperson's interim response received this morning, her advice to the SA Tourism Board is that the proposal may as well be stopped completely.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:20
De Lille: "This matter has been marred by a lot of controversy and has raised many questions and we need to resolve this matter decisively and in the best interest of the people of South Africa as soon as possible."
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:19
De Lille: "I have also written to the minister of finance on 10 March 2023 to enquire whether he had approved the proposal or transaction and have not yet received a response from the minister of finance."
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:18
She says the Board Chairperson has this morning, 24 March 2023, sent her an interim response.
Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:18
De Lille says she has since written to the SA Tourism Board on 22 March 2023 asking for their response regarding the matter.
"I have asked the SA Tourism Board to respond to my letter by 29 March 2023."
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:18
De Lille: 3. That the deal amounts to a "significant partnership transaction" which required my prior approval in terms of Section 54 (2) of the PFMA.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:17
2. That the sponsorship has not been budgeted for as required by section 53 of the PFMA and that the expenditure thereon would be irregular or unauthorised within the meaning of those terms in the PFMA, says De Lille
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:16
"It appears that the sponsorship is a service which was proposed to be acquired by procurement through 'sole source'. Sole source procurement is, however only allowed where there is no competition in the market and only one supplier is able to provide the goods or services, which does not appear to be the case here.
Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:15
1. The sponsorship is, in fact, a procurement event which does not comply with Section 217 of the Constitution, the Treasury instructions issued in terms of the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 (PFMA) and SA Tourism's own Supply Chain Management Policy.
Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:14
De Lille listed three reasons why the Tottenham sponsorship is unlawful and invalid.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:13
De Lille says after her appointment, she immediately sought and obtained legal advice regarding the Tottenham matter.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:13
The matter also served before the Portfolio Committee on Tourism on 21 February 2023.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:13
The story was first published in the Daily Maverick on 31 January 2023.
"Later that day, at around 22h00, the SA Tourism Board approved the proposal (31 January 2023). The approval was subject to due consultation with the Minister of Tourism and National Treasury," she says.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:11
De Lille says SA Tourism Board members then travelled to London between 12 and 17 January 2023. On 27 January 2023, the Board considered the proposed partnership/sponsorship with Tottenham and asked management to address certain aspects and table an amended proposal.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:10
She says a presentation from Tottenham was made to a number of SA Tourism officials in December 2022 in SA.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:10
De Lille says money must at all times be spent wisely and prudently as we are entrusted with the public's funds.
- Iavan Pijoos
24 March 11:10
"I am therefore committed and excited about the work we can do in this space together with the private sector and communities to reach our full potential and see millions more people visiting this beautiful South Africa we call home," she says.
- Iavan Pijoos
