McKenzie grilled in Parliament over R31m World Cup delegation spend

Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie appeared before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture to account for the R31 million spent on South Africa’s delegation to the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Who attended and why the scrutiny

The delegation comprised 151 participants, McKenzie said, travelling to Mexico and the United States. Political parties have criticised the cost and value of the trip, prompting the minister and his department to report to Parliament for the first time since returning from the tournament.

Breakdown of expenditure given by McKenzie

McKenzie provided an itemised account of spending, saying:

• R7.86 million covered the official delegation’s international travel, accommodation, local transport, travel insurance, daily allowances and other approved travel costs for government officials, logistics staff, communications teams, protocol officers and South African artists.
• R6.71 million funded the South Africa 2010 Legends Programme, including an exhibition match between the 2010 Bafana Bafana squad and Mexico’s 2010 legends team.
• R3.36 million went to official hospitality venues in Atlanta and Monterrey, which McKenzie described as working spaces for meetings with government leaders, investors, sponsors, football officials and international partners.
• R3.01 million covered 294 official FIFA match tickets across three host cities for the delegation and programme participants.
• R10 million funded South Africa’s exhibition spaces in Mexico City, Atlanta and Monterrey, including construction, branding, technical equipment, logistics, security and cultural activations.

McKenzie’s defence and disclosures

McKenzie rejected claims the expenditure was wasteful or improper and said the amount had been disclosed in a parliamentary reply. He said private sponsors covered part of the costs and that a final reconciliation of sponsor contributions was still under way.

McKenzie gave particulars of his own costs, saying his travel amounted to R1,058,379.75 over a five-week period and that he had declined subsistence allowances worth R55,000. He said he used shared transport where possible and that no state funds were used for his family’s travel.

“If any person believes money was improperly allocated, appropriated, or spent, or that I personally benefited in a corrupt manner, I invite them to bring that evidence forward,”

He said all expenditure had been approved through departmental processes and remained subject to the Public Finance Management Act, Treasury regulations and National Treasury cost-containment measures. McKenzie added that every invoice, sponsorship contribution and payment was being reconciled as part of a consolidated close-out report that would be tabled once finalised.

Opposition demands and reactions

The Democratic Alliance said McKenzie had failed to provide proper, accountable responses and has asked that the department and the minister prepare full details for Parliament. The DA requested the full names, qualifications and experience of each of the 151 delegation members; the roles and responsibilities of each member; a clear account of what each member did during the World Cup; and a detailed account of the meetings and engagements held by the minister and each delegation member.

The DA has also asked the Public Protector to investigate McKenzie over the R31 million expenditure.

Other parties reacted as well. The Patriotic Alliance described the DA’s complaint as “nonsense.” The uMkhonto weSizwe Party said it was “disappointed with the department and McKenzie over the continued failure to uphold the principles of accountability, transparency and good governance” and called for a full and transparent account of the reported spending.

Next steps

McKenzie remained available to account to the Portfolio Committee, saying he would provide the consolidated close-out report once reconciliation was complete. Political parties expect further questioning and documentary evidence when the minister and his department continue their appearance before Parliament.