DA calls for virtual SASCOC leadership election following failure to produce financials to Parliament

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) to urgently convene a virtual annual general meeting (AGM) to elect a new president and board.

This comes after SASCOC, for the umpteenth time, failed to present their financial statements to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture that met today for the sole purpose of reviewing this information.

The years of unstable, chaotic and dysfunctional leadership has finally caught up to the Committee, to the point where they have completely disregarded Parliament’s oversight authority.

The situation is untenable. The elections for new leadership which were scheduled for 28 March 2020, had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, South Africa has had a few weeks to adapt to this new way of life in lockdown, and SASCOC can no longer hide behind the pandemic to stall the elections.

Given the available technological resources, SASCOC does not have an excuse and can proceed with calling a virtual AGM and conduct a virtual election immediately.

As is clear from today’s ineptitude, SASCOC urgently needs to organise free, fair and independent elections on a virtual platform to ensure a clean slate and competent leadership for the embattled entity.

SASCOC cannot continue down the road it has been allowed to walk for far too long where its ability to deliver the country’s best athletes to international sports arenas was severely restricted.