World Athletics places ASA under formal monitoring following governance crisis

Athletics South Africa (ASA) has officially entered a period of strict oversight by World Athletics, the global governing body for the sport.

This development follows a series of internal disputes, leadership suspensions, and mounting pressure from local clubs demanding financial and administrative accountability.

The intervention was confirmed exclusively by Maggie Durand, Head of Communications at World Athletics. Speaking to Public Dispatch, Durand noted that the international body is closely tracking the instability within the federation.

"World Athletics is aware of the issues raised relating to governance within Athletics South Africa. A comprehensive series of reforms and safeguards were presented to World Athletics and are being put in place, and an individual suspension has been imposed. World Athletics will continue to monitor the situation and the implementation of these reforms and safeguards," Durand said.

A Federation in turmoil

The move to monitor ASA comes after months of escalating tension between the national leadership and its member provinces and clubs. Central to the crisis are allegations of constitutional breaches and a lack of transparency regarding the federation's finances.

In the last few months, ASA has faced months of turmoil. The federation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) earlier in 2025 for failing to file annual returns.

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture has also grilled ASA leaders over financial mismanagement and leadership instability amongst other things.

At the heart of the crisis are allegations of misuse of a company credit card. According to Moloi ASA credit card was used to buy alcohol at taverns and shisanyamas. The credit card was also used to entertain guests at hotels and at times to buy clothes. These well documented scandals have damaged trust in the sport and left clubs struggling to operate.

Transgressions by key leaders

While Moloi’s suspension marked a peak in the conflict, many stakeholders argue that the problems are systemic and require more than just the removal of one individual.

Moloi faced suspension after a probe into his use of the ASA credit card. The board issued a notice of misconduct, but Moloi’s suspension was lifted on 22 December 2025. Critics say the process lacked full transparency.

Acting CEO (and former finance manager) Terrence Magogodela was also implicated in the abuse of ASA credit card.

Athletes and officials who publicly called for accountability were suspended, fuelling claims of retaliation. Clubs and concerned athletes have demanded full accountability, arguing that these issues have tainted the sport and left provincial bodies unable to function properly. Groups have also called for the entire board to resign.

The role and powers of World Athletics

World Athletics is the global governing body for track and field, with about 214 member federations. It functions as both a regulator and a facilitator. World Athletics also promotes better governance principles that member bodies must reflect in their constitutions.

Its role is to set rules, promote the sport, fight doping and enforce high standards of integrity and governance. It can suspend entire federations, block athletes from international competition, demand constitutional changes and impose sanctions for breaches of its Integrity Code of Conduct or anti-doping rules.

Member federations are expected to follow strict guidelines on transparency, term limits, conflict-of-interest rules, athlete representation and financial accountability.

Precedents: ASA’s current situation is a warning sign

World Athletics has not hesitated to act against troubled members before. Countries such as Russia, Kenya, and Peru have had their national federations or athletes face significant sanctions, warnings, or enhanced scrutiny due to systemic doping issues or compliance failures.

In South Africa, the pressure is coming from the ground up. Local clubs and provincial bodies have grown increasingly vocal, calling for a clean-up of the national office. The primary grievances include the alleged mismanagement of funds and the failure to support grassroots athletes while high-ranking officials remain embroiled in legal and administrative battles.

World Athletics has made it clear that their watchful eye will not be turned away until the promised reforms and safeguards are fully implemented.

For ASA, the message is simple: reform the governance structures now, or risk a total suspension that could see South African athletes sidelined from the world stage.

Public Dispatch have formally reached out to (ASA) for comment regarding the World Athletics monitoring and the status of the mandated reforms. Their response will be published in full as soon as it is received.