Gayton McKenzie puts his Games face on, will ‘work overtime’ to deliver a better Team SA at 2028 Olympics

8 Sep 2024

Gayton McKenzie is keen to ensure South Africa is more successful at the next Games and his department wants to start by improving governance in the various sport codes.

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) has provided some clarity on its funding model after there were questions raised about the limited support the organisation provided to surprise silver medallist Jo-Ané van Dyk in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Though Van Dyk received some backing from Sascoc in the form of being accommodated at the national athletics team training camp in Montpellier ahead of the Games, the qualified dietician revealed that the pursuit of her sport career has come at a financial deficit to her and her parents.

Sascoc funded 56 of the 149 athletes who were sent to the Games through a three-tier Operation Excellence (Opex) programme sponsored by Bidvest. In response to questions about how Sascoc funds and helps athletes, Leon Fleiser, its high-performance general manager, said it “can’t fund every athlete. That’s impossible.”

Fleiser added that the responsibility to prepare athletes for the Olympics and Paralympics rests on the shoulders of the respective federations in charge of the various sporting codes in the country, which receive government funding to run their programmes. But he also acknowledged that, even though it is how the system is supposed to function, it is not the case.

“Our job, technically, is just to take them to the Olympic [and Paralympic] Games. Obviously, we know that there are problems and we always try to fund and see how we can stretch our money as much as possible,” Fleiser said.

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture says it is willing to increase the money it provides to Sascoc and other sports bodies ahead of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, but there are governance issues it hopes can be resolved.

Read more: Behind the facade — how the International Olympic Committee fails the world’s athletes

“Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has in recent weeks indicated that the government will offer support to athletes over the next four-year cycle,” the department said in response to written questions.

“Part of that support should be in demanding more transparency about Sascoc’s funding model and expenditure, and monitoring the contributions to federations to ensure the money is reaching its intended targets.

“We are particularly looking at improving equality of access to sports for young people. We need to identify and nurture our young superstars, but also look to develop our existing athletes to their most attainable peak, elite level.”

Good governance and accountability

South African sports federations are constantly plagued by allegations of poor governance, abuse of resources and administrators’ mismanagement of funds. McKenzie’s department says there must be a big improvement in how sports are run in the country as it builds towards the next Games.

This includes room for increased accountability. For example, on Sascoc’s website, the most recent annual report available is for the 2021/22 financial year. This is hardly ideal for an entity that is always trying to attract corporate partners to supplement its modest finances.

“The minister is still collecting data and meeting the relevant stakeholders,” the department said. “In terms of governance for many federations and confederations, there are numerous concerns that have been brought to light, and the minister is not taking this lightly. He is addressing these matters in a systematic way.

“But it’s clear that we can indeed do better when it comes to sports governance, and that is something that even the federations and confederations have been willing to admit. We are demanding the highest standards of anyone and everyone who wants to be involved with this department in any and every capacity.

“We are already working on improving governance and accountability. We would like to see more funds flowing through the system at all levels. But the first step is ensuring that everyone is working on a firm basis of trust and accountability. Everyone will need to be aligned and understand what the goals are, and everything we do must contribute to achieving those goals. Failure won’t be tolerated.”

Of course, speaking and taking action are two different things. Although sports federations in South Africa are independent entities and government interference in them is generally frowned upon by their counterparts around the world, McKenzie and his office are willing to work with them to ensure that athletes are the ones who benefit the most from whatever help the government provides.

Since his appointment as a minister, McKenzie has shown himself to be quite hands-on in trying to ensure that his ministry plays its part.

An example is the recent Rugby Championship clash between the Springboks and the All Blacks in Johannesburg, where he played a vital role in ensuring that all South Africans with television sets were able to watch the titanic battle between the two archrivals.

SuperSport and the SABC were able to reach a one-off agreement for the broadcast rights, with McKenzie playing the role of intermediary.

Playing his part

McKenzie also said he will provide clear strategic direction to everyone who works in or reports to his department to try to foster a harmonious and productive environment. This is important because, when he took office a few months ago, he hinted that funds had been misappropriated in the department during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As he looks for better leadership from federations, McKenzie also stated he will lead by example and ensure that the individuals directly associated with his department are not involved in any underhanded activities that undermine the gains he hopes to make.

“It will still remain the responsibility of Sascoc and the federations to practically implement the agreed-upon plans and programmes. However, the minister will play an additional role of working overtime to bring the private sector to the table as a partner to fund facilities, equipment, coaching and other costs,” McKenzie’s office told Daily Maverick.

“This may not always be done directly through Sascoc or other official bodies, but merely as a global form of corporate social investment. The important thing is that the ecosystem of sports as a whole will be left better off and healthier, and that donors and sponsors feel full trust that their money is going to what it is meant to,” a department spokesperson said.

“We have already achieved some significant commitments in this regard, simply on the basis of trust in the minister. In this way, we want to be able to at the very least double the financial capacity of the sector, but we have even greater ambitions.”

One of those ambitions involves doubling the number of Olympians who represented South Africa in France. The aim of what the department has dubbed “Project 300” is to have at least 300 athletes in the various codes in Los Angeles.

“It’s not just about making up the numbers, though. They need to get to the Games ready to bring back many more medals and really show the world what South Africans are made of,” said the department.

Considering the status quo, these are lofty ideals the department has set for itself. It will be under the microscope over the next few years as the public and athletes wait to see whether McKenzie and his team will succeed in their endeavour. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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South Africa

Good governance and accountability

Playing his part