R5 million rescue for Bafana and Banyana

Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has explained why the Department has forked out R5 million towards Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.

KickOff.com broke the story in November that Bafana Bafana players had not been paid for the last three camps, something that had, according to sources, been a source of frustration among the players and staff.

Multiple reports later emerged that the women's senior national team, too, had suffered the same fate.

In a statement issued on Thursday, however, McKenzie confirmed that a R5 million advance is set to be provided to SAFA.

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The statement explains that this advance seeks to ensure that players are paid ahead of the festive season but would later be deducted from the association's grant allocation for the 2025 financial year.

"Following reports that the South African Football Association [SAFA] has become cash-strapped to pay player's [sic] salaries ahead of the festive season, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture [DSAC] has decided to advance the federation with R5 million."

"We cannot allow players to go into this festive season without payment, especially since they have done the country proud," said the statement.

"The men's team recently qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations, and we need them to focus on preparing for this challenge, as well as making sure we get to the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.

"Banyana Banyana have also led the way, winning the African Women's Championship in 2022 and going deep at the FIFA World Cup last year."

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McKenzie added via social media platform X (formerly Twitter): "I couldn't sit and watch our players not being paid over festive, we advanced 5 million rand to be used to pay all Bafana Banyana players including their bonuses. We also demanded a turnaround strategy from SAFA, our players made us proud."

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