Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie Accused of Breaking Law by Cutting Funding to Sports Bodies
- SASCOC has accused the Sports Minister of illegally cutting funding to sports bodies, leaving federations and the national Olympic committee struggling financially
- The Minister allegedly bypassed proper procedures and approvals, breaching multiyear funding agreements and undermining administrative laws
- The cuts have put sports federations at reputational and operational risk, affecting relationships with stakeholders, sponsors, and international organisations
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has been accused by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) of illegally cutting funding to sports bodies in the country.
McKenzie, who recently spoke out on social media regarding the Bafana Bafana points deduction saga, has also been at the forefront of introducing Video Assistant Refereeing (VAR) to local football. He recently announced that R82 million had been allocated to make VAR a reality.
However, he now finds himself at odds with SASCOC, which has expressed dissatisfaction with how he has managed fund allocations.
Source: Twitter
In a statement on Thursday, 11 September 2025, SASCOC President Barry Hendricks urged the Sports Minister to adhere to the Sports and Recreation Act and the national sports plan. He also noted that meetings between the Minister and sports federations had yielded little progress.
The statement detailed that McKenzie had broken the law, contravened legislation, and in several instances cut annual grants to federations by up to 60%, leaving SASCOC without government funding.
What did the SASCOC CEO say regarding the funds
According to the Times Live, SASCOC CEO Nozipho Jafta said the department had violated multiyear funding agreements with federations. She explained that any decision to reallocate SASCOC’s funds should have followed a proper process and received approval from National Treasury, which she believes did not happen.
As seen in the tweet below:
Jafta added that altering the funding agreements undermined the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, limiting the ability of state institutions to act lawfully, reasonably, and fairly. SASCOC further warned that the cuts placed the organisation and other federations at reputational risk with stakeholders such as the International Olympic Committee, sponsors, and athletes.
Take a look at the video below:
The funding shortfall also made it difficult for them to honour financial commitments that had been planned based on the expected allocations.
Efforts to obtain a comment from Minister McKenzie on the SASCOC grievances were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Source: Twitter
McKenzie allocates funds for VAR
In a statement on Thursday, 4 September, the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture announced an allocation of R82 million towards the VAR project.
According to the Department, the money will go towards referee training, the development of a comprehensive project plan, technology selection, stadium assessments, and the establishment of a VAR training centre.
McKenzie, who had previously addressed Parliament on the required funding, had come under heavy scrutiny from football fans for the unfulfilled promises of introducing VAR to South African football.
Sports Minister's son explains why he does not use his father's surname
Briefly News previously reported that Siwelele FC owner and Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie's son, Calvin Le John, has spoken publicly for the first time since acquiring SuperSport United in a R50 million deal.
Le John addressed speculation surrounding the purchase and explained why he does not carry his father's surname, despite recently confirming that he is indeed McKenzie's son.
Source: Briefly News
