R31 Million gone, but where did the money go? DA tears into McKenzie's World Cup spending

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has raised concerns over what it calls a "spending spree" by Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie after he disclosed in a written parliamentary reply that the Department spent an estimated R31 million on its delegation to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In a media statement issued on Monday, 14 July 2026, DA spokesperson on Sports, Arts and Culture, Leah Potgieter MP, said the party had

"repeatedly requested that Minister McKenzie disclose the exact expenses for the Minister's delegation to the FIFA World Cup 2026"

over the past two months.

"In response to the DA's most recent written question about the delegation's expenditure, the Minister disclosed an estimated expenditure of R31 million in South African taxpayer money. These are merely estimates, and the Minister's evasiveness about specifics suggests something troubling," Potgieter said.

According to the statement, the DA has twice requested detailed information from the Minister about the delegation,

""including the delegation's members and the total budget. In both instances, the DA received little to no information about the delegation's members, received expenditures that did not align, and received no clear indication of how the Department financed the delegation, raising serious concerns about the lack of financial oversight under the Minister," Potgieter said.

The statement says the Minister initially provided "only a vague overview of the delegation's composition,"but after a follow-up question "partially disclosed that the Department had sent 20 artists and 18 Departmental officials as part of the delegation."

The officials, per the DA,

"included the Minister, two support staff, the Director-General, and a 14-member project team, at an estimated cost to the South African taxpayer of just under R8 million."

That leaves roughly R23 million of the estimated total unexplained in the public record, a gap the Department has not, on the DA's account, itemised.

What the DA says it will do next

"The specific number and names of the delegation members are still undisclosed, and the final cost has not yet been revealed. The DA will submit a follow-up question to Minister McKenzie requesting that all previously avoided details be shared, and that the Minister provide us with an exact date on which the information will be available," the statement reads.

The party will also

"request that Minister McKenzie appear before the Portfolio Committee to account for his spending spree and provide Parliament with a breakdown of precise expenditure."

Potgieter said the incident was part of a broader pattern

"Over the course of Minister McKenzie's tenure, a common theme has emerged in the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture: misleading promises, irrational decisions and a lack of accountability when the DA starts asking questions. South Africa's involvement in the World Cup might be over, but the final whistle for Minister McKenzie's spending spree is yet to blow.

"

The legal and policy framework

The DA's statement raises, undisclosed delegation members, expenditure figures "that did not align," and an unexplained funding source, engage several accountability instruments that would apply if the facts are established.

The Constitution, section 92(2) and (3) Members of Cabinet are accountable collectively and individually to Parliament, must act in accordance with the Constitution, and must "provide Parliament with full and regular reports concerning matters under their control." Incomplete or evasive replies to written questions sit squarely within this provision's ambit.

The Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 (PFMA).

Section 38 obliges the accounting officer, in this case, the Director-General, who was allegedly part of the delegation to ensure effective, efficient, economical and transparent use of departmental resources, to prevent unauthorised, irregular, and fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

Section 39 requires government departments to spend money only as approved in their allocated budget. If the delegation was paid for using money from another programme or from funds that were not approved for that purpose, it could amount to unauthorised or irregular expenditure under sections 43 and 1 of the PFMA. Section 65 governs the tabling of information in the National Assembly.

National Treasury's cost-control rules limit the size of official delegations, as well as travel, accommodation and other related expenses. A delegation of 38 people, including 20 artists, would normally require a clear written justification to show why such a large group was necessary.

The Guide for Members of the Executive (the "Ministerial Handbook").

The Handbook regulates the Minister's own travel, the number of support staff who may accompany a member of the executive abroad, and associated subsistence costs. The DA's figure of "two support staff" travelling with the Minister falls within the Handbook's scope.

The Executive Members' Ethics Act 82 of 1998 and the Executive Ethics Code

The Code prohibits members of the executive from wilfully misleading the legislature. If replies to the DA's written questions contained expenditure figures that "did not align," and that misalignment was deliberate rather than administrative, the Code provides for a complaint to the Public Protector, who must investigate and report to the President within 30 days.

It bears emphasis that an estimate of R31 million is not, in itself, evidence of unlawful expenditure. World Cup participation involves genuine costs, travel, accommodation, cultural programming.

The key questions are simple: Who travelled, who approved the trip, which budget paid for it, and what approvals were obtained? These are the questions the PFMA is designed to answer, and according to the DA, the Minister has not yet provided those answers.