Another blow for SA sport
ALMOST without fail, the famous words of Nelson Mandela, “Sport has the power to change the world”, has been the rallying cry for local politicians when called on to deliver keynote speeches at sports events.
Yet, the gravity of these words is lost on the South African government because, on two counts in the past fortnight, it has failed the sporting fraternity dismally.
The budget of Enoch Godongwana, the minister of finance, dealt national sport a low blow two weeks ago. The crushing blow came at a time when SA’S finest sportspeople are preparing for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Godongwana set aside R117.5 million for SA’S various cash-strapped national sports federations, and that amounted to 8% of the total sports budget.
Officials from SA’S 75-odd sports bodies were up in arms when they heard the news.
Apart from the federations, the budget also provides for related bodies like the SA Institute for Drug-free Sport, the Sports Trust, and Sascoc.
There was also a pittance allocation for Boxing SA, which ranks among the worst-run sports organisations in the country. It is a tragedy, because some of the poorest people in SA are in the boxing fraternity.
Boxing SA regulates the professional arm of the sport, and its operations are determined by the SA Boxing Act. Yet, highly-paid officials flout the laws with regular monotony and do not end up in jail.
Perhaps Godongwana is aware of
this and decided not to waste taxpayers’ money.
His budget for sport was yet another damning indication that the SA government does not take sport seriously.
Government officials have never been slow in coming forward to grab the limelight whenever SA sport excels, but refuse to put their money where their mouth is.
In recent years, the lack of financial support has caused potential medallists to miss out on Olympic glory despite attaining qualifying marks. This applies to individual and team sports.
Olympic teams have always been restricted to the bare minimum because of financial restraints, and that should never be the case.
The latest setback to hit SA sport is the appointment of Zizi Kodwa as the minister of sport, replacing Nathi Mthethwa in the latest Cabinet reshuffle.
Like Mthethwa, Kodwa does not have a known background in sport, and that raises red flags.
Kodwa is the latest of many sports ministers who did not have contact with sport in any capacity, and those ministers usually prove highly ineffective.
During last year’s Zondo Commission, Kodwa enjoyed a great deal of airtime while he was deputy minister of state security.
While there was no evidence of misconduct on Kodwa’s behalf, the Commission’s report read: “It is untenable for the Deputy minister of state security to find himself in a position where he is beholden to a suspect in multiple criminal investigations.”
During this time, Kodwa’s lifestyle was laid bare in the media, and there was a striking resemblance to that of a former minister of sport, Fikile Mbalula, who earned the monikers “Mr Razzmatazz” and “Mr Fear Fo **** ”.
Mbalula’s knowledge of sport was so limited that when he was called on to say a few words at the Springboks’ 2015 World Cup farewell, all he could say was: