Please find soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Leah Potgieter MP and in IsiXhosa by Mlindi Nhanha MP
The sale of Ticketpro, the ticketing company serving Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the South African Football Association (SAFA), to a consortium allegedly linked to the Patriotic Alliance (PA) is yet another development that raises questions about the ever-growing overlap between PA-linked individuals and South Africa’s sports, arts, and cultural sectors.
Following TicketPro’s May sale to the alleged PA-linked consortium, the lucrative ticketing company is now overseen by CEO Bakang Lethoko, who previously served as Minister McKenzie’s Chief of Staff and chaired the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s (DSAC) steering committee for the Formula One bid. Additionally, two other individuals linked to PA now serve as directors in TicketPro’s new corporate structure, the Ticketpro Group.
This speaks to a wider issue of PA-linked individuals being appointed to key positions across the sports, arts and cultural sectors, especially to entity boards over which DSAC has direct and indirect control. A recent investigation found that nineteen individuals, either linked to the PA or to Minister McKenzie, have been appointed to the boards of entities reporting to the Department over the past two years – a concern the Democratic Alliance (DA) has referred to the Public Protector for investigation. It’s time for President Ramaphosa to start calling Minister McKenzie to account.
The PA Minister’s reach across South Africa’s sports, arts and cultural sectors, combined with the growing presence of PA-linked individuals in key positions, poses a serious risk. There now exists a severe conflict of interest across these sectors, with PA-linked individuals appointed throughout – a PA patronage legacy that will outlast the Minister’s tenure. South Africans are all too familiar with the dangers of cadre deployment, and it appears that, since entering government, the PA has taken a page from the African National Congress’s (ANC) handbook.
On Thursday and Friday last week, the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture had to endure the Department defending its poor annual performance, while Minister McKenzie was absent for most of both meetings, instead attending a Cricket World Cup event and a PA political meeting. In a department where targets regressed by 13% and a lack of consequence management was flagged as a serious risk, the Minister ought to realise that good governance starts with appointing people to lead the department and its entities on merit, not political ties.