The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has confirmed its discussions with comedian Trevor Noah and other notable figures for potential collaborations aimed at promoting South Africa as a global tourist destination.
Tourism Business Council reveals details of R33 million Trevor Noah deal
The TBCSA is pursuing campaigns to enhance South Africa’s international presence and drive tourism arrivals to 15.6 million over the next decade.
In a statement issued by Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, the CEO of TBCSA, it was clarified that if an agreement is reached, the entire cost of the venture will be covered by the TBCSA.
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“The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) has been in talks with renowned comedian Trevor Noah and other personalities, to collaborate with us on campaigns that will create a wider presence for destination South Africa to international markets. This is in line with the sector’s ambition to grow tourism arrivals in the country to 15.6 million over the next decade,” Tshivhengwa explained.
The controversy surrounding Trevor Noah’s reported R33 million payment for a five-minute promotional video advert for South Africa arose following remarks made by Tandi Mahambehlala, the chairperson of Parliament’s tourism committee.
Mahambehlala expressed concern about the alleged high cost of Noah’s involvement.
Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille has since emphasised that no government funds will be used for this project.
CEO Tshivhenga firmly stated that the initiative is driven by the private sector and has no affiliation with the government or Parliament.
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Minister De Lille further stressed that the TBCSA would bear the financial responsibility for Trevor Noah’s promotional work and that it would not involve any government funding.
Responding to concerns raised by a whistleblower, she highlighted that the whistleblower did not provide the complete context of the situation, reaffirming that this project is a private-sector endeavour.
“I am not mocking anyone. Anything that a whistleblower says must be looked at further or investigated. In this instance, I can tell you that the whistleblower did not give you the full story. It was on 21 July [2023] that I made the comment. The whistleblower did not tell you that I informed everybody that this was done by the private sector,” she told News24.
