PICTURE: FACEBOOK/ BT FOOTBALL CLUB
Cape Town Tourism has suspended BT Travel, the agency responsible for arranging the ill-fated trip to Spain that left 34 young footballers and their four coaches stranded for over a week.
The troubling saga began earlier in July when the trio of junior football teams embarked on what was intended to be a promising training and exhibition tour in Spain.
Organised by BT Football Academy and facilitated by BT Travel, each participant incurred a hefty cost of R50 000 for the trip. Unfortunately, the excitement turned into a nightmare when BT Travel failed to secure return flights for the group, leaving them stranded in a foreign country.
Cape Town Tourism’s CEO, Enver Duminy, confirmed the suspension, highlighting the urgent need for accountability. “We have officially suspended the member benefits for BT Shuttle and Tours effective immediately as a precautionary measure,” he stated, as quoted on EWN.
The agency, which has been a member of Cape Town Tourism since 2023, will now lose access to important resources, activities, and marketing platforms as part of the immediate cessation of its operations.
Enver said they have formally written to Timmy, the owner of BT Shuttle and Tours, to give him the right of reply as per constitutional process.
Last Thursday, emotional scenes unfolded at Cape Town International Airport as the final group of 34 young athletes and their coaches returned home, reuniting with relieved families who had been left unaware of the dire circumstances until the situation escalated.
First published by Cape {town} etc
Compiled by Sibuliso Duba