Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has defended the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture's (DSAC) spending on South Africa's FIFA World Cup 2026 engagement, rejecting claims that the approximately R31 million expenditure was wasteful or improper.
In a detailed statement, McKenzie said the amount had been openly disclosed in a parliamentary reply and insisted there was "nothing to hide".
He said the programme involved 151 participants travelling to Mexico and the United States, excluding service providers, with private sponsors covering part of the costs. A final reconciliation of sponsor contributions is still under way.
According to McKenzie, R7.86 million was spent on the official delegation, covering 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.
He said 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.
