Johannesburg - Cover-ups and the targeting of certain individuals instead of the culprits seem to be at the centre of the recently scrapped R910 million deal, which has now resulted in Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu ordering a full-scale forensic investigation.
Last week, the Daily Maverick revealed that SA Tourism (SAT) would have parted with R910 million in a marketing campaign to sponsor English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur over a three-year period.
At the time, acting CEO Themba Mzilikazi Khumalo had defended the deal, saying it would yield positive results for the country’s tourism sector, adding that those responsible for leaking the details of the deal to the media would be dealt with.
An investigation into this was subsequently launched, but the minister says there should be a different investigation to probe allegations of conflict of interest and Johan van der Walt, the CFO, and his involvement in the deal following allegations that he stood to benefit directly from the deal.
This has come after allegations that the CFO had failed to declare his interests and was involved in the deal, with Sisulu also having urged Khumalo and his board to act swiftly on the allegations of a conflict of interest against the former CFO following a series of meetings with the board since the deal was brought to public attention this past week.
According to reports, Van der Walt would have received R31 million from the agency that was behind this deal while serving as CFO of SAT.
Last week, after the storm from the deal hit, three members of the board — Enver Duminy, Ravi Nadasen and Rosemary Anderson — resigned with immediate effect. However, the man alleged to be the mastermind of the deal still remains in office, according to the minister and her team.
The minister's spokesperson, Steve Motale said in a statement on Wednesday that the minister is concerned about the acting CEO and his board's decision to pursue resigned members rather than suspending the CFO, who is accused of being behind the controversial deal's conflict of interest and ethical flaw.
Sisulu said she finds this disturbing and now wants a forensic investigation into the matter, saying the current investigation was a ruse.
"The investigation of the resigned board members is a ruse, whether they have leaked information or not. Their matter is not relevant in this case and is not worth wasting resources on. What must be investigated are all potential transgressors who have brought the image of SAT into disrepute through deliberate deceptions, including hidden agencies that stood to benefit from this deal. The minister expects this investigation to start urgently and to leave no stone unturned, and the minister is seriously disturbed that the CFO, who is under investigation, is still in office," Motale said.
Sisulu, who recently met with the board, is reported to have indicated that she was told that Van der Walt had failed to declare his interests and concealed his special relationship with one of the companies involved in the deal.
The board had mentioned that it was not ignoring Van der Walt's alleged transgressions, but Sisulu’s office suggested that the focus was being diverted.
"In the meeting between Minister Sisulu and the board a few days ago, the board made it very clear that the CFO had failed to declare his interests in three board meetings, concealing his special relationship with one of the companies involved in the deal," read a statement from Sisulu’s office.
"Subsequent to her meeting with the board, the minister ordered a fully-fledged forensic investigation focusing mainly on this serious conflict of interest. The official letter towards this investigation is sitting with the board for processing. As to why the board is not acting, that is a serious governance lapse," Motale said.
The Star