LIMPOPO – The Greater Giyani Municipality has failed to pay out the Mayor’s Cup winners nearly three months after the tournament concluded in December 2025.

The competition, which kicked off in July and ended in December with a replay match between Ward 13 and Ward 20 women’s football teams at Homu 14B Stadium, was expected to have all prize money settled before the end of last year, as has been the case in previous editions.

This time, however, the municipality appears to have encountered challenges that have delayed payments to the winning teams, Safa referees, and volunteers who ensured the smooth running of the tournament.

According to the tournament’s prize structure, every participating team was guaranteed an award. Teams eliminated in the early stages were to receive a set of jerseys and R1 500 in cash, while the top prize for both the men’s and women’s soccer categories was R55 000. Additional prizes were allocated for individual achievements, including player of the tournament and other categories.

None of these payments has yet been made.

With preparations for the next Mayor’s Cup expected to begin in three to four months, teams have expressed concern that failure to honour payments could become a recurring issue if it is not addressed.

On Friday, teams that participated and won in the previous tournament met at the Safa office in Giyani to discuss the way forward amid ongoing delays.

It was resolved that a memorandum would be drafted and submitted to the municipality on Monday, demanding payment within seven days. Should the municipality fail to respond, the teams will reconvene to determine the next course of action, which may include a protest at municipal offices.

“It’s been a long time since we started visiting their offices to ask about payment. We are always told the same story, that we will receive the payment tomorrow, but it never happens,” said Safa Giyani secretary, Rodrick Rikhotso, known as Jay-Jay.

Meanwhile, municipal spokesperson Steve Mavunda said the delay was attributed to the late conclusion of the tournament, saying the municipality had not had enough time to process payment quicker.

He explained that the tournament, which usually runs from May to July, started late last year and was paused for exams. When it resumed, the finals were only played on December 16, leaving too little time for the municipality to process payments.

He added that processing payments across 31 wards in each sporting code is complex. Each profile must be individually verified before approval.

The municipality is still completing this verification process, after which prizes will be paid out.