KINSOL CHABALALA | Athletes suffer as Gauteng splurges on award galas

As the country celebrates 30 years of democracy, Gauteng artists and athletes have little to celebrate as they still do not have access to much-needed sporting facilities to sharpen their skills and nurture their talents from grassroots levels. 

This is because of the Gauteng department of sports, arts, culture and recreation's failure to prioritise meaningful investments in sporting facilities; instead, prioritised extravagant awards ceremonies.

Over the past two financial years, the department has spent R13.6m on expensive gala dinners, enough to build numerous new sporting facilities in disadvantaged communities, particularly in the townships. 

For the 2023 gala event alone, the department outsourced services like venue setup, catering, broadcasting, production, transport and accommodation at a great expense.

Under the leadership of MEC Morakane Masupyoe over the past two financial years, the department has spent a further R85m on catering, hotels, transportation to events and sound systems, yet they failed to build a single facility in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years.

This expenditure on non-essential programmes is unacceptable, especially when projects like the Operation Mabaleng facility in Westbury, the Bob van Ruinen Stadium on the West Rand, the George Thabe Stadium in Sharpeville and the Rustervaal Stadium in Vereeniging continue to deteriorate without proper maintenance and refurbishment.

This is a painful reality unfolding across our townships and rural areas. Talented young athletes, bursting with potential, are denied the most fundamental tools to sharpen their skills and compete internationally.

Crumbling, neglected facilities and lack of infrastructure force them to abandon their dreams. As Masupyoe stated in a reply to a question in the Gauteng provincial legislature, they spent more than R14m on gala events, with R1.4m spent on the announcement of finalists, venue decor costs, catering and photoshoots, yet our townships do not have sporting facilities.

The department has a disturbing pattern of failing to meet targets and surrendering funds designated for critical sports development projects to the Treasury. Millions of rand earmarked for building combi courts and upgrading community soccer fields were returned to the Treasury, a shameful surrender of responsibility.

Shockingly, the department's infrastructure allocations were adjusted downward by R8.4m – from R40.4m to R32.4m. This is unacceptable because infrastructure projects will not be completed before the end of the current term.

This is not about numbers on a balance sheet. It's about the unfulfilled aspirations of our youth and the loss of future champions who will never get their chance to shine. How can we celebrate individual triumphs when the entire sports industry is on the verge of collapse?

Ironically, major international sporting events like the Rugby World Cup, Cricket World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations have reignited a passion for sports among young people in our townships. They have seen the heights that can be achieved, but the infrastructure to nurture that enthusiasm does not exist.

The chances of a talented 12-year-old Lesetja Mokoena having a dream of representing his country at the Africa Cup of Nations someday may never materialise as the Zone 7 Stadium in Sebokeng remains unmaintained and stripped to the ground.

While the department splurges on award ceremonies, they are failing the hundreds of thousands who yearn for the most basic facilities to play the sports they love. It's a cruel disconnect of priorities by the department from the realities on the ground.

The time has come for a progressive shift in priorities to ensure that resources wasted on gala events are redirected to rehabilitating crumbling sports facilities, building new combi courts and ensuring every community has access to the tools to develop the next generation of sporting heroes. If we are serious about celebrating success, we must first lay the foundations for it to develop and flourish.

Only then can we stand proudly and honour those who have risen above adversity to represent our province with distinction. Until then, the festivities are a painful reminder of a department gone astray.

• Chabalala is DA Gauteng spokesperson for sports, arts, culture and recreation