[COLUMN] The chickens are coming home to roost
If one didn't know any better, then assuming the Department of Sport is cursed would be an accurate reflexion, writes BK Matewe.
It would be interesting to hear the spin from the cloudy Sport Minister Nathi Mthethwa now that team South Africa is back from a disconcerting outing at the Tokyo Olympics.
Mthethwa appears in the media more often to convey condolences to families of departed athletes and artists, and to give congratulatory messages, rather than get his hands dirty to fix the anomaly that our sport space is in.
If one didn’t know any better, then assuming the Department of Sport is cursed would be an accurate reflexion. State presidents have come and gone and this is one department that is the black sheep of all government departments and by extension, provincial sport departments. The larger than life late Steve Tshwete of all ministers seemed to have had his ducks in a row. From the oblivious and raucous Fikile Mbalula, the lifeless Tokozile Xasa, the voluble yet underachieving Ngconde Balfour to the ecclesiastical and sleepy Makhenkesi Stofile and the dullest crayon in the pack Thulas Nxesi. Such has been our story.
In the portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture’s engagement with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympics Committee (SASCOC) and Athletics South Africa (ASA) earlier this year, a promise of 13 medals was made – three more than Rio 2016, but only three were won. Over R56 million was allocated for preparation and the games themselves, but what did we get in return from a contingent of 179 athletes in 19 codes accompanied by 124 officials? Chairperson of the portfolio committee Beauty Dlulane must be pulling her hair in angst and disbelief.
One person that I would like to hear from is Emmanuel Nkosinathi Mthethwa. The Paralympics are due to start on August 24 and continue until September 5. Team South Africa has been allocated just over R20 million and 19 medals have been targeted; an improvement of two from the Rio excursion.
Questions abound: Did Sascoc and ASA consider the state of the economy and the impact of the pandemic in asking for the budget they did? Did they lower the qualification criteria to accommodate more athletes? What had ASA done to assist elite athletes and medal hopefuls during the lockdown period? Why did Sascoc not include boxing and what has it done to promote all sporting codes, and indigenous games such as stick fighting and musangwe?
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