Minister warns Sascoc to get its house in order

Heads could roll, Sports Minister Tokozile Xasa has warned, if the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) does not reach a five-month deadline to get its house in order following the release of a scathing report into the governing body.

“Should I not be totally satisfied with the execution, implementation and fulfilling of the recommendations of the committee by Sascoc, I hereby reserve my right to implement necessary intervention measures in the best interest of sport and the public as a whole in the country,” Xasa said yesterday.

Nine months after a government inquiry into the sports body was completed by an independent committee led by retired judge Ralph Zulman, Xasa confirmed she had approved the findings.

According to the Zulman report, the Sascoc board lacked sufficient corporate governance and was guilty of frivolous spending.

The umbrella body’s executive had also used an “inordinate” amount of resources to resolve both internal disputes and disputes with members, while factions within the board had apparently rendered it dysfunctional.

“A miniscule amount of time of the board is in fact spent on the statutory mandate given to Sascoc to promote and develop high performance sport,” the report read.

“There is no compliance with the basic principles of ethics, transparency, accountability, good governance, or with policies and procedures for the purposes of managing the affairs of Sascoc, including its financial affairs.”