The DA in Limpopo welcomes the commitments made by the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Jerry Maseko, to hold department officials accountable following this week’s Portfolio Committee briefing on the investigation into the chaotic 2025 National School Sport Championships held in Bloemfontein earlier this year.
It was the DA who first exposed these failures in a media statement in April this year, revealing the neglect of duties and young athletes by department officials, and formally demanded that the investigation be instituted.
Although the Premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, undertook to release the report within one month of the incident, this commitment was not honoured, and the report was not released timeously.
The DA continued to push for transparency through written parliamentary questions and a member statement, which ultimately compelled the MEC and the Department to make the report and its findings public.
The report, released only after sustained pressure from the DA, reveals widespread misconduct, including the extortion of service providers by officials, the inclusion of 46 unqualified athletes, fraudulent accreditation, officials who were drunk and absent while responsible for learners, missing sports attire, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, and a collapsed and expired leadership structure in Limpopo Schools Athletics (LIMSA).
It is also concerning that the newly appointed Head of the Department is also implicated in the report, and we believe she must respond to the allegations levelled against her once the disciplinary process has been completed.
During the Portfolio Committee briefing, the MEC confirmed that both disciplinary and criminal action have already been instituted against all implicated officials. He further committed that all disciplinary hearings must be concluded by the end of March 2026, a deadline the DA strongly supports.
The MEC also confirmed that some of the financial losses have already been recovered and that legal proceedings will be instituted where additional recovery is required. He further undertook to provide regular updates on the planning for the next National School Sport Championships to ensure that the gross mismanagement of 2025 is never repeated.
The DA will closely monitor the Department’s progress to ensure that proper planning and processes are implemented effectively. We will continue to hold the Department accountable and safeguard the rights, dignity, and opportunities of Limpopo’s young athletes, who deserve competent leadership, fair competition, and proper support.