Gayton McKenzie’s Department Faces R67 Million Irregular Expenditure Bombshell

• The latest Auditor-General findings have raised fresh questions about financial controls at the department
• Millions in historical irregular expenditure remain unresolved despite promises to strengthen accountability
• Two government entities under Gayton McKenzie’s department have struggled to account for millions in irregular expenditure, raising further questions about financial oversight

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, led by Minister Gayton McKenzie, has been flagged for R67 million in irregular expenditure during the 2025/26 financial year. The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) also warned that the actual amount could be higher because two entities under the department failed to fully quantify their irregular expenditure.

The findings come despite McKenzie's assurances that measures were being introduced to improve financial management and accountability.

Gayton McKenzie’s department under audit scrutiny

According to Daily Investor, the findings follow questions from MP Sithembile Nkosi, who asked McKenzie what steps he had taken to strengthen financial controls and improve performance reporting.

Read also

Bafana Bafana Players Still Waiting for Gayton McKenzie's R5 Million Promise

Responding to the parliamentary question, McKenzie said the department had strengthened its supply chain management processes and introduced additional preventative and detective controls.

He added:

“The department has developed an audit action plan, reviewed by Internal Audit, which identifies the root cause of each 2024/25 audit finding and sets out the corrective action, the responsible programme and the due date.”

However, the AGSA's latest findings indicate that progress remains limited.

R839 million irregular expenditure balance raises concerns

The department's outstanding irregular expenditure balance decreased from R861 million to R839 million. However, the auditor warned that this figure could also be understated.

Only 16% of the 2023/24 balance and 5% of the 2024/25 balance had been addressed by the end of the 2025/26 financial year. The department also recorded R1.68 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure across 11 entities.

Robben Island and Mandela Bay Theatre Complex flagged

The Mandela Bay Theatre Complex and Robben Island Museum could not fully quantify their irregular expenditure. The AGSA also identified an estimated R7.5 million loss linked to departmental transfers that were not used for their intended purposes.

Read also

IEC dismisses staff unpreparedness claims after 12 million votes cast by 5PM

Other concerns included delayed debt collection, late creditor payments, unspent conditional grants and budget overspending.

The findings place renewed focus on financial oversight across the department and its associated institutions. Although McKenzie has outlined corrective measures, the outstanding balances and unresolved audit findings indicate that significant work remains.

Bafana Bafana’s unpaid World Cup bonus adds to questions surrounding Gayton McKenzie

Briefly News previously reported that Bafana Bafana players had received their official FIFA prize money from the 2026 World Cup, but a separate bonus promised by Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie was still outstanding.

A source within the national team camp told KickOff that FIFA made the payments about a month earlier. However, the players were still waiting for the R5 million bonus McKenzie had pledged following their group-stage victory over South Korea.

Source: Briefly News