The Minister of Sport, Quinton Mackenzie, has approved the allocation of R3 million in financial assistance from the department to fully fund the men's and women's national hockey teams of South Africa for the IIHF World Hockey Championship 2026, which will be held in Belgium and the Netherlands.
This intervention came after reports that the South African Hockey Association (SA Hockey) faced a funding deficit of approximately R3 million ahead of the tournament. As a result, players risked having to cover significant expenses related to representing the country themselves.
The competitions are scheduled from August 14 to August 30. Both South African teams will attend the tournament as reigning African champions in both the men's and women's divisions. Mackenzie emphasized that this funding was necessary to support athletes who earned their place on the global stage through years of effort and sacrifice.
He stated that it is unacceptable for athletes who achieved this spot through years of dedication to then have to pay for their own participation. Mackenzie noted: 'Representing your country is a matter of national honour and national duty. It should never become a personal financial burden.'
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture announced that the funds will be transferred after the signing of an official funding agreement and subject to full compliance with governance, financial administration, and reporting requirements. As a condition of support, SA Hockey must provide a detailed report on the reasons for the funding deficit, fully account for the use of the provided funds, and submit a Financial Recovery Plan aimed at strengthening the federation's financial sustainability and management before future international competitions,' Mackenzie added.
Mackenzie stressed that this measure was taken solely in the national interest to ensure the teams' participation in the World Cup, and it should not be viewed as a permanent government obligation to cover operational or financial shortfalls of national sports federations. The department also stated that it continues to work with various sports federations to improve governance and financial stability to prevent similar funding issues before major international events.
Both the men's and women's hockey teams from South Africa have received vital support ahead of the upcoming FIH World Cup next month. This assistance became possible after the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gethon Mackenzie, approved emergency funding amounting to 3 million rand.
The state intervention is aimed at addressing an alleged deficit of 3 million rand faced by the South African Hockey Association (SA Hockey). This deficit threatened that players would have to personally cover their participation in the tournament, which will take place in Belgium and the Netherlands from August 14 to 30. Both national teams qualified for this event as reigning African champions.
Announcing this support on Thursday, Mackenzie emphasized that national representatives should never bear a personal financial burden to participate on the world stage. He noted that the players have already brought pride to South Africa by reaching Europe as African champions in both men's and women's competitions.
Mackenzie stated that he approved departmental financial aid of 3 million rand to ensure full funding for the participation of the men's and women's national hockey teams of South Africa in the FIH World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands from August 14 to 30.
The Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture confirmed that the funds will be transferred after the finalization of an official agreement, provided that SA Hockey meets strict criteria in terms of governance, financial administration, and reporting. Under its mandate, SA Hockey must submit a comprehensive report explaining the root causes of the deficit, provide accountability for emergency funds, and develop a financial recovery plan to ensure long-term sustainability.
Mackenzie stressed that this lifeline is intended solely to secure participation in the World Cup and is not a permanent obligation to cover administrative shortcomings of federations.
The financial support arrived at a critical moment in the preparation of both teams. The women's team is currently participating in a four-match series against Namibia in Cape Town, having won the first two matches with scores of 4-0 and 2-0, before heading to the World Cup group stage where they will play against England, China, and India.
Meanwhile, the South African men's team arrives in Europe in good spirits after completing a home series against Malaysia with an aggregate score of 3-0, ahead of their World Cup match against Spain on August 16.
The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gaitan Mackenzie, defended the expenditures of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) for South Africa's participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, refuting claims that the spending of approximately 31 million rand was unjustified or improper.
In a detailed statement, Mackenzie noted that this amount was openly disclosed in a parliamentary response, emphasizing that 'there is nothing to hide.' He clarified that the program involved 151 people traveling to Mexico and the United States, excluding service providers, and that part of the costs were covered by private sponsors. The final reconciliation of sponsor contributions is currently ongoing.
According to Mackenzie, 7.86 million rand was spent on the official delegation. These funds covered international travel, accommodation, local transport, travel insurance, daily allowances, and other approved expenses for state officials, logistics personnel, communications teams, protocol officers, and South African artists.
Furthermore, 6.71 million rand was allocated to the South Africa Legends Programme of 2010, which included a friendly match between the 2010 Bafana Bafana team and the 2010 Mexico Legends team. Another 3.36 million rand was directed towards official event venues in Atlanta and Monterrey, which, according to Mackenzie, served as workspaces for meetings with government leaders, investors, sponsors, football officials, and international partners.
3.01 million rand was allocated for 294 official tickets to FIFA matches in the three host cities for program participants and the delegation. The remaining 10 million rand went towards creating South Africa exhibition stands in Mexico, Atlanta, and Monterrey. These funds covered construction, branding, technical equipment, logistics, security, and cultural events showcasing South Africa's potential in tourism, arts, cuisine, and investment.
Mackenzie asserted that all expenses complied with the department's mandate to promote South Africa through sport, art, and culture. He called on anyone who believes the money was improperly distributed, misappropriated, or spent, or who personally benefited from corruption, to provide relevant evidence. The Minister accused opposition parties of turning legitimate government spending into a scandal and stated that assumptions about him personally spending 31 million rand are false.
Mackenzie reported that his personal expenses amounted to 1,058,379.75 rand over a five-week period, including airfare, accommodation, and insurance. He added that he declined a daily allowance of 55,000 rand, used public transport whenever possible, and did not use state funds for his family's travel. He also mentioned that private partners, such as Brand South Africa, Coca-Cola, HONOR, Betway, Cell C, and Old School, funded the trips of happy fans, journalists, podcasters, and influencers, thereby reducing the financial burden on the state.
The Minister emphasized that the World Cup program included engagement with Mexican officials, stakeholders in investment and tourism, Formula 1 organizers, and cultural institutions, alongside activations and performances by South African fans in Mexico, Atlanta, and Monterrey. He assured that all expenses were approved in accordance with departmental procedures and fall under the Public Finance Management Act, Treasury regulations, and National Treasury cost containment measures. Every account, sponsor contribution, and payment undergoes a reconciliation process within a consolidated closing report to be presented upon completion.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) and ActionSA are insisting on holding the Minister of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), Gethon Mackenzie, accountable, demanding a full justification of the expenses related to the South African delegation for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which are estimated at approximately 31 million rand.
Both political blocs have demanded that Minister Gethon Mackenzie provide a detailed breakdown of the costs. This information was disclosed by Mackenzie in a parliamentary response, which, according to both parties, does not answer several questions regarding the structure of the delegation and the nature of the expenses.
DA states that it has repeatedly requested detailed information about the budget, composition, and cost of the delegation over the past two months. Previously, the minister provided only general information, and later stated that the delegation included 20 artists and 18 civil servants. Among the officials, preliminary estimates suggest the minister himself, two support staff members, the CEO, and a project team of 14 people, costing just under 8 million rand.
However, DA emphasized that the exact number and names of the delegation members remain unknown, and the department has not yet presented the final audited cost of the trip. The party also questioned the presented expenditure figures and the ambiguity surrounding the delegation's funding.
DA intends to submit further parliamentary queries to obtain the missing data and demand a date when all information will be available. Furthermore, they plan to demand Mackenzie's appearance before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture to report on the expenditures.
ActionSA clarified that nearly 31 million rand covered international flights, accommodation, hospitality suites, match tickets, a friendly match, and other country promotion initiatives related to the tournament. While the party acknowledges the importance of promoting South Africa internationally, it questioned the economic viability of such spending given the lack of basic sports infrastructure in many communities and ongoing challenges with national team funding.
ActionSA also expressed concern over Mackenzie admitting that his personal expenses had not yet been separated from the overall delegation costs, which prevents the disclosure of his individual spending to taxpayers. The party insists on complete transparency regarding all taxpayer-funded expenses, including travel, accommodation, and hospitality, pointing to the need for increased oversight through its bill on reducing ministerial privileges.
In response to the queries, DSAC explained that the 'delegation' included officials, artists, cultural participants, legends, media partners, sponsored fans, and implementation teams. The department noted that some individuals traveled using DSAC funds, others using sponsors, and a third group via implementation partners, and that grouping them into one list would be misleading.
The department also specified that the approved program was a scaled-down support for the FIFA World Cup, focused on Aldea Global, Atlanta, Monterrey, fan engagement, cultural promotion, and events related to the 2010 Legends.
According to DSAC, the previously submitted report recorded total program expenses of 30,945,370.15 rand. These funds were allocated to official trips, a Legends friendly match, suites, spectator tickets, and program activations.
Official trips and associated costs for the minister, two support staff members, the CEO, and the project team were estimated at 7,865,134.97 rand. This amount included international flights, accommodation, local transport, per diems, and operational costs. The department explained that this figure is not yet detailed to separate the minister's individual expenses from the overall delegation costs because elements such as security, protocol, and logistics were purchased as a single block.
DSAC reported that the final reconciliation for each person is currently underway. This reconciliation should include, where applicable: full name, position, role, city, associated program, duration of stay, flight cost, accommodation, transport, per diem, visa, insurance, accreditation, match tickets, hospitality, and source of funding. The department stressed that it is trying to avoid assumptions where account reconciliations have not yet taken place, and that the final response must clearly separate state-funded participants from sponsor-funded participants and implementation partner personnel to present the information accurately.
