JOHANNESBURG – Is SA Tourism's proposal of a R1 billion sponsorship deal with English Football giants Tottenham Hotpsur irrational or will it result in more exposure for South Africa as a tourism destination abroad?
This debate has dominated on social media with many asking how South Africa could spend this amount of money on a sponsorship when there are so many pressing issues that require that kind of investment right here at home.
Opposition party leaders have now added their voices to the chorus of discontent.
Action SA rejected the proposal, describing it as foolish.
"When our own sporting codes in this country are battling to really get the funding from government this does not really make any sense," said Action SA leader Herman Mashaba.
Mashaba said the focus should be on fixing the country…
"I cannot understand how anyone with a normal mind can think that you can get visitors, tourists into South Africa in a country where there is total lawlessness, There's a total breakdown of our infrastructure and so forth and you can go and spend a billion rand to promote a country that is dysfunctional and lawless.."
The Democratic Alliance said the money should be spent locally to improve South Africa's tourism sector so it could thrive, create jobs and in turn contribute to the much-needed growth of our economy.
"A delegation from the DA abroad in London will arrange to meet with representatives from Tottenham Hotspur to ascertain exactly what the status of this deal is and if any money have yet been exchanged,," said the party's Manny de Freitas.
"In addition, we'll be submitting questions as to how this decision was arrived at, what studies have been undertaken to justify this decision.."
SA Tourism has yet to respond to criticism of the deal, exposed in the Daily Maverick this week, while the tourism ministry said she was not formally briefed on the proposal.
WHY IS SA TOURISM INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH A FOOTBALL CLUB?
African countries are showing an increasing appetite to partner with football clubs.
Rwanda has a £10million-per-year sponsorship agreement with Arsenal to go with their Paris Saint-Germain partnership.
That deal sees the message, Visit Rwanda, emblazoned on players' shirt sleeves, on training equipment and advertising boards surrounding the pitch during home matches.
With seven London-based teams playing top flight football in England, SA Tourism looks set to back the team that is performing the second-best in the current season.
Founded in 1882, Spurs last won a major trophy in the 2007–08 season when they lifted the league cup, while their last European trophy success came in 1984
South Africa could be the second country to establish commercial ties with Tottenham after reports that Qatar was weighing up a £1billion offer to invest in the club.
Mzansi has a history with Spurs with former Bafana Bafana internationals, Mbulelo Mabizela, Steven Pienaar and Bongani Khumalo, having donned the team's colours.
Artmotion S.Africa
