The Portfolio Committee on Tourism has told SA Tourism to scrap the controversial R1-billion Tottenham Hotspur deal.

On Tuesday SA Tourism and Tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu appeared before the committee to give more details about the deal and to explain why it is going to benefit the country.

Committee chairperson Tandi Mahambehlala said they will investigate the deal and also shared that they will recommend that the R1-billion be reprioritised.

She said the presentation it received from the SA Tourism acting CEO Themba Khumalo was underwhelming, full of contradictions and created more questions than answers as the South African Football Association (Safa) was not listed among the stakeholders consulted on the deal.

“The exclusion of Safa is incomprehensible and ridiculous,” Mahambehlala said.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has already recommended that the R1-billion be allocated to fix the energy crisis.

Mahambehlala added that her committee has also recommended that SA Tourism acting CFO resign with immediate effect owing to a conflict of interest pertaining to him.

Further, the committee told Sisulu and SA Tourism that there is no statistical basis for the claims that the Tottenham Hotspur deal will deliver 21-million tourists in 2030.