A planned $1.7-million deal between renowned comedian Trevor Noah and a South African tourism council for a five-minute advert to boost travel sparked a firestorm in his native country on Friday.
The plan by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) to have the Emmy Award winning comedian promote South Africa as a tourist destination was unveiled earlier this week.
But the hefty price tag provoked a barrage of criticism of the government, at a time when power cuts are wreaking havoc on Africaâs most industrialised nation and people are struggling with rising food and fuel costs.
The government says it is neither paying for nor sponsoring the advert.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X, that the âTrevor Noah advert for SA âdoes not involve public funds’â.
TBCSA, a private umbrella tourism organisation, said the proposed deal would be âwholly fundedâ by the body âif and when the parties ultimately agree on a common strategyâ.
The advert aims to boost the countryâs battered tourism sector, which has not fully recovered since the coronavirus pandemic.
However, South Africans have taken to X to express their concerns and suspicion about the proposed deal.
âSouth African Tourism & Tourism Ministry are looking for creative ways to loot out taxpayerâs money,â @Thuso1Africa posted.
âPaying Trevor Noah R33 Million for a 5 minute ad when Iâm losing 5 hours of electricity almost daily is crazy business,â posted @riley_unlocked.
The former âThe Daily Showâ host is currently on a tour in South Africa that will also take him to the United States, India and Britain.
Noah detailed his upbringing in apartheid-era South Africa as the son of a black South African mother and a white Swiss-German father in âBorn a Crimeâ, his 2016 best-selling memoir.