The political opposition, including ActionSA and the Democratic Alliance (DA), is putting pressure on Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Geetone Mackenzie, demanding clear explanations and accountability regarding the significant expenditure of R31 million spent on initiatives related to the FIFA World Cup 2026.
ActionSA and DA insist that Mackenzie provide a full breakdown of every cent of public funds spent on the FIFA World Cup events. The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has come under scrutiny after spending nearly R31 million on its delegation and programs tied to the World Cup.
According to Mackenzie's response in parliament, these costs covered international travel, accommodation, hospitality zones, match tickets, and country promotion initiatives. ActionSA objects, arguing that while international promotion of South Africa has its merits, taxpayers have the right to question the appropriateness of spending R31 million, especially given the poor state of local sports facilities and the neglect of youth infrastructure.
ActionSA also criticized Mackenzie's admission in parliament that he could not identify his own expenses because they were mixed with general delegation costs. The party emphasized that having only a total figure and promising details later undermines the principle of accountability. ActionSA refers to its 'Enhanced Cabinet Perks Cut Bill', tabled last May, which aims to end such culture by demanding full transparency regarding all expenses related to officials' travel, accommodation, and other perks.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) demands that Mackenzie appear before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture to account for the expenditure. In a written response to parliament, DA confirmed that the program cost nearly R31 million. DA specified that the expenses included official trips, a legends match, hospitality zones, match tickets, fan events, and cultural programs.
Estimates suggest that travel costs for the group of 18 department employees amounted to R7.8 million. According to DA information, the delegation included Mackenzie, two assistant ministers, CEO Cynthia Humalo, and a project team of 14 people working in the host cities. Furthermore, the department funded 20 artists and participants in cultural programs. However, the department refused to provide an individual breakdown of costs, stating that the figures are still being reconciled and will include participant details, travel, accommodation, allowances, and funding sources after finalization.
DA criticized the minister's responses in parliament as inconsistent and incomplete, vowing to continue demanding the names of all participants and a detailed breakdown of expenses. DA also plans to request the parliamentary committee summon Mackenzie for an accounting, while the department states that final amounts will only be disclosed after tallying all invoices and travel expenses.
The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) have called for officials to be held accountable following the National Treasury's decision to temporarily suspend fair share transfers for July to 69 municipalities that failed to comply with financial regulations.
The Treasury explained its decision by citing persistent and serious non-compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and its supporting regulations, despite support, guidance, interaction, and communication provided. The Department stated that these municipalities were given sufficient written notice and a strong request to take measures to change their financial standing before the funds were blocked. They were also given the opportunity to provide a written justification as to why their funds should not be withheld.
The list of municipalities affected by the restrictions includes major cities such as Johannesburg, Buffalo City, Nelson Mandela Bay, Mangaung, and Matjambeng, as well as district and local municipalities from all provinces in the country. The fair share is an unconditional grant derived from national revenue, which guarantees the ability to provide free basic services to poor households and maintain administrative infrastructure, even if the local tax base is limited. Despite receiving billions through fair shares, these municipalities have found themselves in crisis.
The Treasury relies on the recent audit of local government for 2024/25 conducted by the Auditor-General of South Africa, which largely confirms the Treasury's existing assessments. Since 2021/22, municipalities have incurred losses of R24.12 billion due to wasteful and fruitless expenditure. Over the same period, municipalities and their structures incurred R145.21 billion in irregular expenditure, with only R40.14 billion spent in 2024/25. Furthermore, since 2021/22, they have disclosed R118.13 billion in unauthorized expenditure. In 2024/25, 116 municipalities, or 45%, adopted budgets without funding, which is higher than the 113 municipalities (44%) in the previous year's budget. By the end of the 2024/25 financial year, municipalities owed Eskom R3.4 billion in interest and water boards R1.21 billion in interest. Delinquent payments also affected state organs and third parties. The Treasury added that 48 municipalities had outstanding third-party deductions for more than one month.
SAFTU Secretary-General Zwelinzima Vavi stated that corruption, mismanagement, financial misconduct, and the looting of municipal resources have destroyed service delivery and betrayed millions of workers and poor communities. Vavi noted that the latest Auditor-General report revealed the shocking scale of the crisis in local governance, showing persistent management weaknesses, widespread financial misconduct, poor internal controls, rising irregular expenditure, and the continued inability of many municipalities to properly account for public resources. He emphasized the need for decisive action against corruption and misconduct, demanding that municipal managers, chief financial officers, accountants, and political leaders who violate financial management laws face real personal consequences, including criminal prosecution where necessary.
Vavi also called on the National Treasury to abandon the austerity program and reverse the continuous reduction of transfers to local government. He believes that the collapse of municipalities cannot be solved solely through punitive fiscal measures while municipalities operate amid mass unemployment, deindustrialization, and shrinking tax bases. He proposed that the government implement a comprehensive program to restore local governance through professional administration, strengthened financial oversight, investment in local economic development, industrialization, infrastructure expansion, and job creation.
For its part, SALGA expressed concern that the Treasury cited the non-payment of pension fund contributions, UIF contributions, and PAYE deductions—which had already been deducted from employee salaries—as a reason. The association stated that these funds do not belong to the municipalities and should never be used for other purposes, as such behavior undermines employee rights, public trust, and exposes municipalities to financial and legal risks. SALGA insists on zero tolerance for financial misconduct and persistent non-compliance, demanding that councils, accountants, and oversight bodies investigate irregular expenditure, hold those responsible accountable, and recover losses in accordance with the law.
Management expert Andre Duvenhage noted that despite uncertainty regarding the underlying political strategy, the current operations cannot continue normally. He described the current national situation as reaching a critical point, warning that this threshold will soon be crossed in many local municipalities.
