Olympic Champion Tatjana Smith Takes Legal Action Against Swimming SA Over Prize Money Dispute
- Olympic champion Tatjana Smith issued Swimming South Africa a letter of demand over interest allegedly retained from her 2023 World Aquatics Championship prize money
- SSA operations manager Mafata Modutoane allegedly told Smith's husband he kept the interest as a 'management fee' after holding the funds for over a year
- The legal action comes days after SSA president Alan Fritz and CEO Shaun Adriaanse were provisionally suspended by the Aquatics Integrity Unit
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Two-time Olympic champion Tatjana Smith has served Swimming South Africa (SSA) with a formal letter of demand, alleging the federation retained interest that accrued on her prize money while it was unlawfully held for more than a year.
According to the Daily Maverick, the letter, dated 25 August 2026, was issued by Hurter Spies Attorneys on behalf of Smith and her husband Joel. It centres on $35,000 in prize money — approximately R650,000 at the time — that Smith earned at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, where she claimed gold in the 200m breaststroke and silver in the 100m breaststroke.
How the prize money dispute unfolded
The dispute dates back to Smith’s breakthrough campaign at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, where she earned US$20,000 (R330,000) for gold and US$15,000 (R247,500) for silver.
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The payments were allegedly delayed for more than a year, prompting Hurter Spies Attorneys to approach SSA with a letter of demand in May 2024. The legal firm says it received no response.
The outstanding prize money was eventually paid during the Paris 2024 Olympics. After one of Smith’s press conferences, SSA Operations Manager Mafata Modutoane reportedly showed her husband, Joel Smith, proof that the payment had been made.
However, the amount did not include interest for the period the funds had allegedly remained with the federation. When Joel questioned why the interest was missing, Modutoane allegedly replied:
"I kept the interest as a management fee."
The letter of demand states that Smith's legal team was uncertain at the time whether this was intended as a joke or whether Modutoane had genuinely kept the money as a self-allocated bonus.
Attorney Wian Spies, who was instructed by the Smiths in July 2026 to pursue the matter, said the dispute was not primarily about the value of the outstanding interest. He explained that the couple believed athletes should receive prize money within a reasonable period after earning it.
Spies said the Smiths’ position was that a delayed payment should also account for the interest accumulated while the money remained unpaid. He said their concern was ensuring athletes were not left waiting years for rewards they had already earned through competition.
The letter requests payment of the outstanding interest, calculated from when SSA received the funds to when Smith was eventually paid, along with proof of where the money was held during that period. SSA has 10 days to comply before taking further legal steps.
Modutoane declined to address the substance of the allegations, confirming only that he had received the letter and that his legal team was attending to it.
Source: Getty Images
SSA leadership under mounting pressure
The legal action arrives at a turbulent moment for the federation. On 24 August, the Aquatics Integrity Unit provisionally suspended SSA president Alan Fritz and CEO Shaun Adriaanse over alleged violations of the World Aquatics Integrity Code.
The allegations include abuse of power and submitting false information and fake documents. Both men are barred from holding any position at SSA or attending any aquatics event while proceedings continue.
SSA's executive committee subsequently appointed vice-president Zikie Molusi as acting president. They also established a three-person management committee comprising finance manager Batch Morar, education and training manager Eileen Xhakaza, and high-performance manager Dean Price.
Rachel Kolisi shows Tatjana Smith support amid swimming SA dispute
Briefly News previously reported that Tatjana Smith shared a joyful collection of personal moments on Instagram, prompting a warm message from her sister-in-law, Rachel Kolisi.
Rachel responded to the Olympic champion’s post with, “Loooove you!!”, as fans celebrated the special moments shared by Smith.
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Source: Briefly News
