Criticism for lack of financial support is ‘regrettable’, says sports minister Gayton McKenzie

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture says national sport federations are responsible for raising money to fund their codes. National government has wiped its hands of any blame after four-time Olympic medallist Tatjana Smith announced on Tuesday she will be competing for the Netherlands in future. While Smith had spoken out against Swimming South Africa (SSA) this year, after being locked in a legal battle to claim interest on prize money withheld from her after the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, she had not spoken out against the government. However, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) was criticised on social media on Wednesday, after Smith announced she was switching allegiance, for not doing enough to assist athletes and federations. It was recently revealed that SSA had told swimmers they needed to pay their own way to the World Short Course Championships in Beijing next month. And while the sports ministry had offered R3 million to assist the SA men’s and women’s teams to get to the Hockey World Cup earlier this year, the department had not said anything about assisting the country’s elite swimmers. “It is regrettable that some people have used a deeply personal decision by one of South Africa’s most loved athletes to attack the minister (sports minister Gayton McKenzie),” DSAC said in a statement. “Tatjana’s choice belongs to her and it should not be turned into a political weapon.” Smith has been rewarded The department said that Smith had been recognised on multiple occasions at the SA Sport Awards – she received six accolades between 2019 and 2025 – and had received prize money with each of those gongs. The sports ministry also stated that federations were responsible for supporting athletes, despite DSAC facing widespread criticism in recent years for alleged wasted expenditure. And McKenzie pointed out on social media that national sport federations did receive government grants. Government gives all federations a grant running into millions, Government does not pay for travel of athletes, we occasionally step in like we did with Chess & Hockey, this is the result of very bad leaders running some of the Federations. I am meeting them this week. Soccer ? https://t.co/uw5EIEKGTb — Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) November 10, 2026 ‘National federations are independent’ “The public needs to understand how sport is run in South Africa. National federations are deliberately independent of government. They are governed by their own boards and answer to their international bodies,” the department said. “Where the department funds a federation, the federation must account for that money, but the department does not run federations, and it cannot take on all of their costs. That includes the significant cost of competing internationally. “The people who lead federations are responsible for running their affairs sustainably and for attracting the partners and sponsors who can pay for these costs.” ‘We wish her the best’ The department stated that South Africa “does not own” Smith, and McKenzie wished her well as she prepared to represent another country as a dual citizen. “Nothing can erase what Tatjana has achieved for South Africa. Every medal, every record and every anthem she gave us belongs to our history forever,” McKenzie said. “We now have to share her with the Netherlands, but I have no doubt that her love for South Africa is as strong as ever. “I believe she still has a great role to play in our country in the future. We wish her only the very best, much love and even more success.”