SA Tourism’s acting chief finance officer Johan van der Walt has resigned.
PHOTO: Visionhaus/Getty Images
- SA Tourism’s acting chief finance officer Johan van der Walt has resigned.
- Van der Walt handed in his resignation earlier this month. The board accepted it on Tuesday.
- This was on the same day he had received a letter asking him to detail the reasons why he should not be suspended for his involvement in the Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship deal.
South African Tourism acting chief finance officer Johan van der Walt has stepped down in the wake of the controversial sponsorship deal with English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur.
The controversial deal proposed a payment of close to R1 billion by SA Tourism for a sponsorship deal. South Africa would pay the amount over three years.
The tourism board accepted his resignation last Tuesday after he issued it on 9 February, said spokesperson Thandiwe Mathibela.
Van der Walt was appointed on a seven-month contract which started last month following the resignation of the organisation’s former CFO.
“The process for recruiting a new CFO is currently under way,” said Mathibela.
SA Tourism’s financial management general manager, Themba Ndlovu, will act in Van der Walt’s position until a permanent CFO is appointed.
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Last Tuesday, the SA Tourism board issued Van der Walt a letter instructing him to justify why he should not be suspended for his involvement in the controversial Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship proposal.
The Daily Maverick, which brought to light details about the proposed deal, reported that Van der Walt had links to an agency that would receive a R33 million fee to “activate” the sponsorship deal.
SA Tourism chairperson Thozamile Botha said the board was unaware of a potential conflict of interest involving Van der Walt.
In exchange for the investment, SA Tourism would receive kit branding, interview backdrop branding, match-day advertising, partnership announcements, training camps in South Africa, and free access to tickets and stadium hospitality.