Speaking during a press briefing in Pretoria on Friday morning, De Lille said after her appointment she sought and obtained legal advice regarding the Tottenham matter and after thorough discussions, she was given three reasons why the sponsorship in unlawful and invalid and here are the reasons De Lille provided:

1."The sponsorship is, in fact, a procurement event which does not comply with Section 217 of the Constitution, the Treasury instructions issued in terms of the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 (PFMA) and SA Tourism's own Supply Chain Management Policy."

2."The sponsorship has not been budgeted for as required by section 53 of the PFMA and that the expenditure thereon would be irregular or unauthorised within the meaning of those terms in the PFMA."

3."The deal amounts to a "significant partnership transaction" which required my prior approval in terms of Section 54 (2) of the PFMA."

"Given the circumstances we find ourselves in economically we have to be much more careful and give consideration to everything that we must do as government, money must be spent wisely and prudently at all times as we are entrusted with public funds," De Lille said.

De Lille who has also considered the outcry of the public has also expressed her concern about transparency in the country especially in such situations.

"As a country when we enter into such massive partnerships, it is vital that we are able to be fully accountable, that we are transparent and can answer South Africans clearly and honestly." De Lille added.

With the matter been marred by a lot of controversy and raising many questions among a lot of South Africans, De Lille furthermore alluded that she had written to the Minister of Finance on the 10th of March 2023 to enquire whether he had approved the proposal or transaction and unfortunately she has not as yet received a response.