South Africa's new Minister of Sport Gayton McKenzie has declared that his department would no longer cover the costs for so-called Super Fans to attend international events.
McKenzie was referring to the likes of Mama Joy Chauke and Botha Msila who both attended last year’s Rugby World Cup, an excursion which reportedly cost taxpayers more than R1 million.
Commenting on the situation McKenzie took to Twitter to say: “I have stopped all trips for super fans, we have athletes and artist who are struggling to raise money to attend sporting events and exhibitions, how do we justify paying for fans?
“We shall no longer be paying for these trips and will use that money where it’s needed the most,” he wrote.
While there may be a loss of public relations value, it seems hard to fault McKenzie’s logic on this call given how tight budgets are for events like the Olympics.
That is the end game, including the enablers within the Department. You cannot grow anything with the wrong people. We need to bring back school sports & arts. We need to make the fans happy again. We must be intentional and loud so that those at the back can hear. https://t.co/2Vr4IKm9Vo
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) July 10, 2024
