Gayton McKenzie’s R31m FIFA Spending Under Fire As SA Women’s Hockey Team Crowdfunds for World Cup
- SA women's hockey star Onthatile Zulu has publicly appealed to Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie in an emotional open letter
- Players have opened up about the financial sacrifices they make to wear the green and gold for South Africa
- The letter has sparked fresh debate over government spending priorities and funding for South African sport
Source: Getty Images
SOUTH AFRICA — South African women's hockey player Onthatile Zulu has written an emotional open letter to Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie as the national team appeals for public donations to help fund its campaign at the 2026 FIH Women's World Cup.
Zulu's letter, widely shared on social media over the weekend, has sparked fresh criticism of McKenzie after many South Africans contrasted the team's fundraising efforts with the department's approximately R31 million in travel expenditure for the FIFA World Cup.
Hockey stars paying to represent South Africa
In her letter, Zulu revealed that representing South Africa often comes at a significant personal cost because hockey is not a professional sport in the country.
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"Representing South Africa has been one of the greatest honours of my life. But the reality behind the badge is one that very few people get to see," she wrote.
Zulu said players regularly pay for domestic flights, accommodation, transport, visas, meals and medical supplies out of their own pockets just to wear the national jersey.
"I have had to personally pay for almost everything to represent South Africa: interprovincial tournaments, visas, flights, accommodation and transport," she said.
The South African Hockey Association has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help cover costs for the team's preparations. Each player needs to raise R68,137.03.
This includes domestic training camps, international series in Scotland and Wales, and the FIH Women's World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium. International flights have already been sponsored.
Letter puts spotlight on McKenzie's spending
Zulu said athletes were not asking for luxury but simply the opportunity to compete without financial barriers.
"We're not asking for luxury. We're asking for the opportunity to compete without financial barriers standing in the way," she wrote.
Her appeal quickly gained traction online, with many social media users questioning government spending priorities following revelations that around R31 million was spent on travel related to the FIFA World Cup.
One X user wrote:
"Meanwhile, @GaytonMcK defends his spending of R30 million on trips to the World Cup as 'being within the budget'. It's despicable."
Another commented:
"There is zero justification for the R30m spend from a strategic perspective. South African sport has greater, more important needs."
Others pointed out that the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has increased funding to the South African Hockey Association in recent years, arguing that crowdfunding can help bridge the remaining funding gap.
As debate continues online, Zulu said every donation and every share of the campaign brings the team one step closer to representing South Africa on the world stage.
McKenzie defends R31m World Cup spend
Briefly News previously reported that Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie released a detailed breakdown of the nearly R31 million his department spent on South Africa's FIFA World Cup 2026 programme. The expenditure covered official travel, hospitality, match tickets, a legends exhibition match and cultural activations during the tournament.
The spending triggered widespread debate, with many South Africans questioning the government's funding priorities and comparing the expenditure with the financial challenges faced by several national sports teams.
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Source: Briefly News
