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No commission paid for broadcast deal

NO one will be paid commission for helping to procure the South African Football Association's R1-billion broadcast deal with pay-TV newcomers Siyaya TV.

Sowetan broke the news of the money-spinning six-year broadcast partnership last month and Safa chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo said yesterday that the perception was immediately created that the officials who brokered the ground-breaking agreement would be rewarded.

"The perception out there suggesting that people received millions of rands in commissions on this deal is misplaced, totally wrong and unfounded," Hluyo said.

"Nobody received a commission on this Siyaya TV deal and all the money we are receiving will go to football development. So there is no single individual at Safa who is getting a commission."

The pay-TV newcomers secured free-to-air, mobile and internet rights to all national football teams, including Bafana Bafana, the under-23 side and the women's teams. A 24-hour television channel named Bafana Bafana TV will be launched as part of the agreement.

Siyaya TV is a 100% black-owned media consortium whose shareholders include the Bakgatla Ba Kgafela tribe in North West, TV personality Dali Tambo, former South African Post Office chairman Vuyo Mahlati and My Television head Aubrey Tau.

They are yet to be issued with a licence by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa but the Siyaya deal will come into effect when Safa's current broadcast agreement with the SABC comes to an end in April.

Hluyo said the decision to do away with commissions was not limited to the Siyaya TV partnership but extended to the lucrative sponsorships recently signed by the mother body.

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