Crisis meeting for 2022 Commonwealth Games

A DELEGATION from the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) will be in South Africa this weekend for a line-in-the-sand crisis meeting with local authorities that could decide whether the multi-sport event will be hosted in Durban in 2022.

This follows the warning by CGF president Louise Martin at the organisation’s general assembly in Edmonton, Canada, earlier this month that if South Africa did not meet its contractual deadlines by November 30, it would lose the right to host the Games.

The CGF has grown increasingly anxious about South Africa’s commitment to the Games after several deadlines for financial guarantees and organisational requirements have been missed. South Africa has missed deadlines to sign the host city contract, make payments, underwrite the event and set up an organising committee.

The CGF will meet the Department of Sport and Recreation (SRSA) officials, including Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula, as well as representatives from the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).

It has been learnt that Sascoc was not originally invited to the meeting by SRSA, but were extended a late invitation on Wednesday. A source described relations between Sascoc and SRSA over the Games as “distant”.

“SRSA believe they are the custodian of the Commonwealth Games and are keeping Sascoc at arm’s length,” said the source, who believed the department was intent on taking control of the Games.

It is understood the breakdown in relationships between the two biggest sporting authorities in South Africa centres around a dispute over the budget for the Games.

The budget for the 2022 event was announced as R6.4 billion last year, the same amount that was presented in the official bid book to the CGF.

Alec Moemi, director-general of the Department of Sport, apparently presented a budget of just R4.8 billion for the Games to the Treasury.

“He told Sascoc he had pitched that amount because he did not believe they would have accepted the original budget,” said the source.

There is much confusion over who is paying what. In June, the City of Durban said it could not contribute R580 million as its portion. At the same time, Mbalula said the financial guarantees had been signed by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. Last week, the minister’s spokesperson said the government was still in negotiations with the CGF as it did not want to lose money as it had during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

“The delays are simply because there are still negotiations taking place,” said Esethu Hasane, spokesperson for the SRSA.

“We want value for money for hosting the Games. When the South African government woke up (during the 2010 World Cup), we were footing most of the bills. When there were returns, the government did not get its fair share,” said Hasane.

There’s confusion over who is paying for what