Finding much-needed funding for athletes and federations is more important than sending fans to the Fifa World Cup.
Sports minister Gayton McKenzie with football fans at the Bafana Bafana team arrival in Joburg. Picture: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
The minister of sport, arts and culture, or the minister of wasted expenditure and social media?
Gayton McKenzie has just spent a lot of money taking dozens of fans, social media influencers and artists to the Fifa World Cup, which reportedly cost an estimated R19.2 million.
In an attempt to gain praise on social media he even offered to fund the players who didn’t make the final Bafana Bafana squad to attend the World Cup as “fans”. A slap in the face that backfired quickly when it was pointed out to him how offensive that really was.
Let’s forget that this is the same minister who scratched “super fans” as one of his first acts in charge of his department because he felt it was a waste of money.
Let’s also ignore the fact that having these people at the World Cup did nothing to benefit Bafana Bafana or South Africans.
Instead, let’s focus on where this money could have gone.
Struggling federations
Yes, McKenzie has claimed the funding for these fans was provided by private sponsors, but if he can raise that much money to send people to party at the World Cup, why not use that influence to raise much-needed funding for athletes in various codes?
In recent years, multiple national teams have been left struggling in attempts to rake in money to represent the country in international tournaments, including national hockey and water polo sides, sometimes having to start crowdfunding efforts just to wear their hard-earned national colours.
Next month, for the first time, representatives of the national squad at the World Athletics U20 Championships will have to assist with funding if they hope to be included in the final SA team.
And the athletes in that squad include the likes of hurdler Tumi Ramokgopa, sprinters Leendert Koekemoer and Marko Ferreira, javelin thrower Jan-Hendrik Heymans and pole vaulter Ansume de Beer, who are all among the favourites for medals in their events.
Empty gestures
Granted, the federations that run these sports need to find ways to increase their revenue streams and rope in more income, but if they can’t, surely the government should be more concerned about assisting them than sending people to have a party at the Fifa World Cup?
Two months ago, McKenzie said he would find money to help pay elite runners who competed at last year’s Soweto Marathon. Those athletes apparently still haven’t been paid.
So the question must be asked: Is McKenzie interested in assisting athletes and federations, or is he more concerned about finding money to fund fan holidays and promoting himself on social media with empty gestures?
The answer seems obvious.
