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South Africa: Funding Problem as Elections Approach

Mark Smit

14 November 2008

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Johannesburg — AS THE elections approach, it is becoming increasingly evident that Moss Mashishi's presidency of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) could stand or fall on the thorny issue of funding.

Mashishi is being opposed by Gideon Sam in the race for the presidency of the fledgling body, and there is a sense that many federations affiliated to Sascoc feel the macro-body should have done better in getting funding for programmes in the last quadrennial.

While Athletics SA has aligned itself - publicly at least - firmly with Mashishi, smaller federations are not that convinced.

Badminton SA president Larry Keys was adamant that his federation was not happy at all with Sascoc. "They have not been at all successful as far as we are concerned," he said yesterday.

"I accept that there were teething problems but we feel they could have done more to help us.

"Continuity might be better than change at this stage but we feel there is certainly nothing wrong with Gideon Sam.

"I certainly hope, as far as we are concerned, that things will get better in the next four years."

Swimming SA boss Jace Naidoo, who is standing for a position on the Sascoc board, admitted funding had been a major problem for his federation. "We have brought disability sport under our wing and we are expected to provide competition and travel opportunities for them as well as our able-bodied swimmers.

"But our funding has not increased and we are battling."

However, he would not commit himself to either Sam or Mashishi.

"I will be having an executive "round robin" conversation this week to get a mandate for the meeting so I can't say yet which way we will be voting."

Dave Carr, the president of the South African Hockey Association, said his executive had always had "a good working relationship" with Mashishi. "There have been one or two disagreements but on the whole we have got on well. Of course there is never enough money but we felt our funding for the Olympics was adequate.

"But we are still working on a business plan to set up a domestic provincial competition and we are going to need a lot more money for that," he said.

"We have a council meeting on Saturday and an executive meeting on Sunday where I will be given my mandate.

"But they are both good men. Gideon might bring different things to the table but perhaps Moss needs one more stint. As far as I can see both camps have quite a following."

Canoeing SA boss Merrill King brought a woman's perspective to the debate with one of the best ideas of all. "I personally think Moss is a good man but he needs good people below him. I feel there is an old school full of dead wood floating around him there that needs to be retired.

"Why not leave Moss, who is definitely a visionary with good ideas, as president, and have Gideon as vice-president?

"Gideon is a great can-do man, good at kicking backsides, while Moss is much more gentle - the ideas man. Perhaps he could concentrate on the big picture and leave Gideon to get things moving along," she said.

King said Canoeing SA had usually got what it wanted from Sascoc, "but I don't know if Sascoc has done the country any good in the past four years. Perhaps they have concentrated too much on the big Olympic sports. Most federations feel they have not had enough opportunity."

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