Taxpayers spent R7.1 million sending fans, journalists, podcasters, influencers and other non-official participants to Mexico and the United States as part of Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie’s 2026 FIFA World Cup programme.
The preliminary expenditure disclosure, made in a parliamentary reply by McKenzie, shows that R7,143,292.34 was spent supporting 77 non-official participants, an average captured cost of approximately R92,770 per participant.
The participant included 37 Lucky Fans, 10 Ministerial Wild Card winners, 20 journalists and broadcasters, six podcasters and four influencers and hybrid content creators.
The R7.1 million expenditure excludes the R6,186,475.76 spent on travel and subsistence for 18 departmental officials, bringing the preliminary captured expenditure for the delegation to approximately R13.33 million.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has warned that the expenditure remains preliminary and is subject to final reconciliation and audit.
Of the R7.1 million spent on non-official participants, R3,221,197.36 went towards airfare, while R1,580,701.73 was spent on accommodation.
The remaining amount covered subsistence, ground transport, travel insurance, travel-management fees and VAT.
McKenzie said no professional fees were paid to any journalist, podcaster or content creator.
The participants travelled as part of South Africa’s integrated 2026 FIFA World Cup Government Programme, which was implemented between 5 and 30 June across Mexico, Atlanta and Monterrey.
The programme included support for Bafana Bafana, the South African Legends Legacy Programme, eKhaya Village activations, sport diplomacy, tourism promotion, cultural programming and the Mzansi to the World Cup Programme.
In response to a parliamentary question by DA MP Dereleen James, McKenzie was specifically asked to provide the names of influencers who formed part of the delegation and details of their contractual deliverables.
The Department said the participants classified as influencers or hybrid content creators were Kayla Kim Meiring, Vafa Naraghi and Larnelle Lewies.
But the Department’s own response states that the delegation included four influencers and hybrid content creators, while only three were named in the written reply.
The Department said the categories overlapped with journalists, podcasters and Wild Card participants, several of whom also produced digital content.
The Department defended the inclusion of digital creators by pointing to the programme’s claimed online reach.
According to McKenzie, the programme generated 294 World Cup-related pieces of content across 10 tracked accounts, attracting at least 42.62 million views.
However, the parliamentary response does not provide a breakdown in its main text showing which accounts generated those views, how much content each participant produced or what specific deliverables were required from individual creators.
McKenzie said that the 37 Lucky Fans were selected through two open national competitions that attracted 389 valid entries.
Entries were assessed by an independent adjudication panel chaired by broadcaster Robert Marawa and monitored by the Department’s internal auditors.
Participants were assessed on creativity, authenticity, demonstrated support for football, motivation for attending and their ability to represent South Africa appropriately.
The Minister also selected 10 Wild Card winners based on demonstrated football knowledge and audience reach.
The R7.1 million spent on non-official participants came on top of R6,186,475.76 spent on travel and subsistence for 18 departmental officials.
Of that amount:
R3,099,090.66 was spent on airfare.
R2,153,068 on accommodation.
R409,098 on ground transport, and
R423,158.58 on staff subsistence claims and advances.
The remaining costs included insurance, airport and lounge expenses.
The Department said the expenditure was incurred against an approved provision of R7,585,142.29, representing 81.6% utilisation.
The programme was authorised through a Ministerial submission approved on 26 May 2026.
The Mexico leg began on 1 June.
The approval covered participation across Mexico, Atlanta and Monterrey and provided for programme adjustments and contingency approvals by the Department’s Chief Financial Officer.
The disclosure comes amid wider parliamentary concerns about governance, procurement and transparency within the Sport, Arts and Culture portfolio.
During recent Portfolio Committee deliberations, MPs raised concerns about governance failures, procurement processes, the disclosure of beneficiaries and the accountability of entities receiving or administering public funds.
Questions were also raised about governance risks created by individuals serving on multiple boards and whether adequate transparency exists around contracts and beneficiaries.
Against that background, the World Cup delegation figures provide another major test of the Department’s ability to demonstrate exactly how public money was spent and what taxpayers received in return.
The Department has promised Parliament a final audited close-out report containing reconciled financial schedules.
Until that report is completed, the preliminary figures show that taxpayers had already been billed approximately R13.33 million for officials and non-official participants travelling under the World Cup government programme.