The DA in Limpopo notes the significant improvement in the organisation and support provided to our provincial athletes at the recent SA Schools Athletics Championship, a direct result of sustained pressure and intervention by the DA following last year’s disgraceful failures.
In April 2025, the DA exposed the shocking neglect of Limpopo’s young athletes by the Limpopo Department of Sport, Arts and Culture who left the athletes without proper accommodation, food, and basic logistical support. Read here.
Although the Limpopo Premier, Phophi Ramathuba, promised an investigation within one month, no such report was forthcoming. Ultimately, after numerous member statements, parliamentary questions and media statements by the DA, the investigation report, dated August 2025, was released to the members of the portfolio committee in October 2025 exposing a litany of failures and misconduct, including:
· Contradicting statements, elements of dishonesty and a lack of proper oversight by senior project officials.
· Dereliction of duty, with senior managers failing to attend the national event.
· Elements of extortion and probable corruption, where officials allegedly collected money from suppliers to secure services, a practice said to have been ongoing for years.
· Officials intoxicated and absent from the stadium during the sports events.
· Fraudulent backdating of documents, indicating possible corruption and cover-ups.
For more, read here
This year, the situation tells a very different story. Athletes received their sports attire timeously and in the correct sizes, and the championship proceeded with minimal issues.
This is not by accident, it is the consequence of accountability being enforced and the Department being placed under scrutiny. While we acknowledge the improvements, we will not allow the Department to rewrite history or escape responsibility for last year’s failures.
The DA will continue to hold the Department and implicated officials accountable to ensure that this level of planning and professionalism becomes the norm, not the exception. When the DA applies pressure things get done, and we will not stop fighting to ensure that every young athlete in Limpopo is treated with dignity and given a fair opportunity to succeed.