SA Tourism Board Conditionally Approves Tottenham Hotspur Deal

Loading player...
Mzilikazi Themba Khumalo - South African Touism acting CEO talks about Questions have been asked about the decision to channel almost R1 billion into a single project involving the football giant.

South African Touism (SAT) says there has been a malicious leak of internal documents regarding the Tottenham Hotspur deal. 

The Daily Maverick reported on an almost R1 billion sponsorship of the football giant being considered by the tourism entity. 

Questions have been asked about the decision to channel the money into a single project

SAT said the sponsorship would yield R88 billion in international spend into the local economy. 

SAT acting CEO Mzilikazi Themba Khumalo briefed the media on the sponsorship deal on Thursday. 

He said there was no signed contract yet, but that the SAT board had conditionally approved the deal. 

“The money that is invested in tourism is not the same money for energy or potholes, there are other departments for that.  

“Our legislative mandate is about persuading international travelers to spend their money in the country,” Khumalo explained."

Khumalo said before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism was contributing 6.4% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). This has since dropped to 3.2%. 

He said SAT was not asking for “new money” to go into the deal, but rather that SAT would be aggregating the money that would go into their smaller projects to the deal
2 Feb 2023 1PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

SA Payments Behind the Fifa Passion

Visa’s data reveals how FIFA World Cup 2026™ shifted SA spending — from a 72% surge in sports recreation to 76% spikes in live screening ahead of Bafana’s Round of 32 match. Zeyad Davids, Vice President, Head of Marketing Services, Central Europe, Middle East & Africa at Visa explains how…
30 Jul 1PM 11 min

Life vs Funeral: The Real Difference

South Africa’s insurance gap has widened to R50.4 trillion. Capitec Life CEO Deepesh Desai explains why funeral cover dominates, why life cover lags at 19%, and how Capitec wants to change the national conversation.
30 Jul 1PM 11 min

Brand SA data shows South Africa’s Reputation Turning a Corner

South Africa scores 3.70 among audiences who know it best — placing the nation second in the world and above the Love Mark threshold. Brand SA’s Olebogeng Mabala unpacks the 0.87‑point gap between familiar and unfamiliar audiences, the economic stakes of reputation, and why “South Africa converts” once people experience…
30 Jul 12PM 19 min

PIC At War With Itself: Governance and the health of Pensions

The Public Investment Corporation—custodian of more than R3 trillion in public money and the retirement savings of millions of South Africans—is once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. A whistleblower complaint, the controversial Lanseria Airport deal, the precautionary suspension of CEO Patrick Dlamini, board resignations and FSCA…
29 Jul 2PM 10 min

Africa’s Delivery Generation: Youth Demand Jobs & Clean Government

The African Youth Survey 2026 reveals a rising generation more optimistic than at any time since the pandemic — but demanding delivery, accountability and economic dignity. Commissioner Ivor Ichikowitz unpacks why optimism has surged, why cost‑of‑living pressures dominate youth concerns, and why young Africans support democracy but reject Western models…
29 Jul 1PM 12 min