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Johannesburg - The sport and recreation department has denied paying R17m for United States singer Beyoncé Knowles to perform at the sports awards later this year.
"No contract of R17m has been signed," the department's director general Alec Moemi said on Tuesday. "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.
"We are quite keen and we are quite excited... if we can get Beyoncé without paying for Beyoncé," he said.
However, it was just a proposal and the department had not yet decided who to appoint.
"We will not endorse such a thing [paying R17m]..., but if other people pay for it and it is in line with our mandate, we are happy with it."
News spread on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook on Tuesday that the department had apparently paid R17m to have the singer perform at the sports awards in November.
"One proposal was bringing Beyoncé and we have considered it," said Moemi.
"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 [to pay for entertainment]."
"No contract of R17m has been signed," the department's director general Alec Moemi said on Tuesday. "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.
"We are quite keen and we are quite excited... if we can get Beyoncé without paying for Beyoncé," he said.
However, it was just a proposal and the department had not yet decided who to appoint.
"We will not endorse such a thing [paying R17m]..., but if other people pay for it and it is in line with our mandate, we are happy with it."
News spread on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook on Tuesday that the department had apparently paid R17m to have the singer perform at the sports awards in November.
"One proposal was bringing Beyoncé and we have considered it," said Moemi.
"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 [to pay for entertainment]."
