BEYONCE BROUGHT TO SA BY SPONSORS, SAYS DEPT OF SPORTS

I have been on Twitter and seeing all your tweets, letters and complaints to the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula. People asking me why didn't I write about it. Well... click here to read the article I wrote on April 10th, when Mr Mbalula made the announcement for the first time.

I have always been vocal about the money spent by government on such things. Even got a call from the minister's office some time to ease on things. This time though, the office has denied paying R17-million for United States singer Beyonce Knowles to perform at the sports awards later this year.

"No contract of R17-million has been signed," the department's director general Alec Moemi said today. "This is a fabrication." Moemi said the department issued a tender every year asking companies to provide proposals on what they intended to feature at the awards if given the chance.

This year a company had proposed bringing Knowles, and had said it could arrange sponsors. However, it was just a proposal and the department had not yet decided who to appoint.

"It is a lie to say we are paying for it... sponsors would pay for it. The base cost of awards is ours, but we'll not stop partners and sponsors who come forward.

Hmmmmm.... okay, so says the department. Do you believe them? Are they lying to us. Let us know.

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