STATEMENT: DEPARTMENT OF SPORT AND RECREATION SA DID NOT PAY FOR MAYWEATHER’S 2014 VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA
The Ministry of Sport and Recreation SA has noted the Democratic Alliance (DA) statement that alleges Minister Fikile Mbalula misled Parliament on Mr Floyd Mayweather visit to South Africa in 2014.
The Ministry did not imagine that the Democratic Alliance would stoop so low by deliberately misquoting a reply in order to extrapolate and manufacture an impression thus creating malicious falsehoods. We are now fully convinced that the DA will stop at nothing in its dirty campaign to besmirch the good name of the department and cast an aspersion on its integrity. Let the forces of darkness who forage in secret venues around the country plotting the demise of the democratic government be unmasked and exposed for what they are. We are not intimidated nor threatened by their unfounded allegations and venom they continue to spit against the democratic state.
It is apparent that Mr. Adrian Basson the Editor of Beeld newspaper and the DA are in a desperate collaboration and constitute bedfellows of nefarious intents. Both the Beeld Editor and the DA have continued to make wild unsubstantiated allegations that the Minister used tax-payer’s money on his trip to Las Vegas and that the Department covered the cost of Mayweather’s travel to South Africa on his SA 2014 tour.
This was followed by Mr. Basson’s use of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 to access documents from the department in the hope of proving illegality. These attempts failed to prove that the Minister used tax-payer’s money to travel to Las Vegas and that Floyd Mayweather’s visit to South Africa was paid for by the Department. But statements by the DA made to the mainstream media of our country as well as reports by Beeld (including their entire Media 24 stable) have done nothing to correct this, instead they paddle more inaccuracies.
Today’s statement by the DA indicates beyond the shadow of doubt that there is deep collaboration between Mr. Adrian Basson and the DA. This axis can only confirm our held views that the DA has a stranglehold on some media establishments. We have complied with all Parliamentary processes and answered all media enquiries on this matter.