MBOMBELA – Nine months after being celebrated for their outstanding achievements, top athletes are still waiting for their full cash prizes. Despite their impressive performances and sportsmanship, these athletes have been left high and dry by the organisers of the Mpumalanga Sports Awards.
Banele Shabangu, the Sports Star of the Year, revealed that she received only half of her cash prize, with the organisers claiming that the rest would be paid once more funding was received. However, nine months later, there has been complete silence.
“I’ve never heard anything from them since then,” Shabangu said. “There was no explanation whatsoever, and we still don’t know why we’re being shortchanged.”
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Collen Mahlalela, the Sportsman of the Year with Disability, shared a similar experience. “Nothing was communicated, and I’m still waiting for the rest of my winnings,” he said. “This is not a good look for the organizers, and it’s quite demotivating.”
The issue doesn’t stop at the athletes. Mbekezeli Mbuli, one of the adjudicators, claimed that they weren’t paid for their services. “Bheki only bought us lunch, and that was it,” Mbuli said. Mark Kinnear, the Lowvelder’s Sports Journalist of the Year, also didn’t receive his prize money. Despite sending two email inquiries, he hasn’t received a response.
When Mpumalanga Mirror reached out to organiser Bheki Letsoalo, he attributed the delay to a “system error” and claimed he was waiting for funding from the MEC for Culture, Sports, and Recreation. This isn’t the first time Letsoalo has cited financial woes; in October 2024, he mentioned a R500,000 deficit and said he was waiting for sponsors foe more funding. The athletes are now left wondering if they’ll ever receive their hard-earned prizes.
The department’s head of Sports Bhutini Ngoma said they are aware of the situation and are engaging with Letsoalo to address some the challenges. “The matter has also been escalated to the MEC to see what can be done to address this matter. We have to resolve this as speedily as possible,” he said.
