DA calls for urgent answers from Mbalula

3 June 2015

The DA has a series of urgent questions that the Minister of Sport and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula, should answer today, if he has any respect for the rights of South Africans to know the truth about corruption allegations in the 2010 World Cup bidding process.

Yesterday, FIFA confirmed that the South African Government, in agreement with the South African Football Association (SAFA), requested that FIFA pay $10 million to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association (CONCACAF). This was earmarked for their ‘Diaspora Legacy Programme’. The money was part of a fund originally intended for use by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2010 World Cup.

A letter by the former SAFA President, Dr Molefi Oliphant, dated 4 March 2008 instructing FIFA to redirect $10 million, has also come to light.

South Africans deserve urgent answers to the following questions:

1. Which members of the South African government did then President of SAFA, Molefi Oliphant, consult before he instructed FIFA to redirect $10 million to CONCACAF?

2. Which members of the South African government or SAFA gave him the instructions to authorise this transfer?

3. Why was CONCACAF chosen over all other federations? 

4. What did CONCACAF build with the $10 million? How did they use this enormous amount of money and was it audited?

5. If Danny Jordaan was the ultimate authority for the 2010 bid committee finances, surely he would have had to sign off all major payments and transfers? Did he?

6. According to SAFA travel records, who was the South African in Paris in 2004 who met with Jack Warner’s family member to allegedly hand over a briefcase full of money?

7. Has the FBI made any contact with South African authorities about Danny Jordaan being a suspect in their criminal investigation?

8. Did Minister Mbalula read the U.S. Department of Justice's indictment before denying the allegations of bribery levelled against South Africa?

It is a fact that the 2010 World Cup will go down in history as one of our crowning achievements. It is, however, important to get to the bottom of the allegations on how the $10 million, which could have been used for sport development in our country, was spent.

Statement issued by Solly Malatsi MP, DA Shadow Minister of Sports and Recreation, June 3 2015