Gayton McKenzie under siege over R31 million World Cup trip

Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, is under siege over his 2026 FIFA Soccer World Cup trip, which cost R31 million.

Many stakeholders argue that this money could have been better spent to support sportsmen and women who struggle financially.

On Sunday, 19 July 2026, McKenzie published a press statement outlining the costs of the 2026 FIFA Soccer World Cup trip.

• R7.9 million – Official trips and travel-related expenditure for the Minister and two support staff, the Director-General, and the project team of 14 members.

• R6.7 million – South Africa 2010 Legends Exhibition Match, involving 27 people.

• R3.4 million – Suites

• R3 million – Spectator Match Tickets

• R10 million – Programme activities linked to fan engagement, Aldea Global participation, Atlanta partnership activations, Monterrey, and legacy activities.

He explained that spending a departmental budget on the department’s mandate is not, in itself, a wrongdoing.

“The FIFA World Cup was the single largest global sport, arts and culture platform of the year, and it comes only every four years,” he said.

“Spending public money to position South Africa on such a platform is not a deviation from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) mandate.”

He added that some commentators have made it sound as though he spent R31 million on himself for the trip.

“My own costs totalled just over R1 million and included the need to fly back to South Africa for June 16 midway through the World Cup group stages,” he said.

Many critics said the money could have been better spent

Olympic hockey player Thati Zulu was among the critics who questioned McKenzie’s decision to spend R31 million on the 2026 FIFA Soccer World Cup trip.

“I’ve been quiet for too long, but as we prepare for the World Cup, I feel I owe it to my team, my family, and every young athlete in South Africa to speak up,” she said.

“For years, my family, friends, and personal sponsors have financially supported my hockey career.”

She has had to personally pay for almost everything related to representing South Africa, including tournaments, visas, flights, accommodation, and transport.

“While I am deeply grateful when our federation subsidises costs, the remaining financial burden on us as players is overwhelming,” she said.

“It is exhausting and stressful to worry about how to pay for a tournament when we should only be focusing on performance.”

“I’ve seen some of my incredibly talented teammates forced to walk away from their dreams simply because they couldn’t afford to keep playing.”

She said it was disheartening to see the large sums spent on sports tourism while the women’s team struggles to cover the costs of representing South Africa at the upcoming World Cup.

“It hurts. It really comes down to care and investment, and the necessary people actually paying attention to sports that need development,” she said.

AfriForum taking on Gayton McKenzie

AfriForum has requested detailed information in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) regarding Gayton McKenzie’s trip.

The organisation submitted the PAIA request to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture earlier today.

The PAIA application comes amid widespread controversy around the revelation that the Department shelled out nearly R31 million on this trip.

“The media statement issued by the Minister on Sunday regarding the expenditure contains no supporting documentation for the amounts listed,” it said.

“AfriForum has, therefore, requested to see the full invoices and audits for this trip, as well as other relevant financial documents.”

Ernst van Zyl, head of public relations at AfriForum, said the numbers quoted by the minister do not add up.

“There is no way a trip of this nature could have cost that much unless funds were grossly mismanaged or spent on luxuries,” said Van Zyl.

He said that the R31 million could have been spent on sport bursaries, upgrading sport facilities at underprivileged schools, or supporting the national hockey team.

“It appears that the R31 million was spent on expensive hotels and dining out at fancy restaurants,” he said.