'There is no deal' - MPs unconvinced by SA Tourism's Spurs explanation
Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu insists that it is only
President Cyril Ramaphosa who can pull the plug on the proposed R1 billion deal
with Tottenham Hotspur.
Sisulu says she will wait for her meeting with the head of state before deciding on the next move.
The minister was responding to a decision by Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Tourism to scrap the proposed sponsorship deal.
The committee' chairperson Tandi Mahambehlala was adamant during a meeting on Tuesday that the deal cannot be justified.
There's been an uproar since it emerged last week that SA Tourism is considering a three-year agreement with the English Premier League club.
The SA Tourism board was called before Parliament to explain the details.
During the meeting, the board defended the plan saying it would bring in investment opportunities.
Mahambehlala said the explanation given by the board wasn't sufficient for the deal to go ahead.
"Because many of the figures from the deputy chair of the committee told the minister, let's have one message, one voice, there was no deal, so there is no deal here today now."
