iDiski Times has it on good authority that the five Limpopo-based Banyana Banyana players are yet to get their R100,000 which they were promised from the provincial department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
Noko Matlou, Lebogang Ramalepe, Nomvula Kgoale, Hilda Magaia and Amogelang Motau were part of the Banyana WAFCON winning squad in Morocco in July.
Limpopo was among the first provinces to celebrate their stars and former MEC of Sport Thandi Moraka had announced at the home coming event and street parade in Polokwane in August, that the players would each get R100,000 from their province for their efforts at the continental showpiece, as reported by iDiski Times.
This publication, though, has gathered that no one from the department has communicated with the players since the day of the celebrations and no one has even taken down their banking details.
We can confirm the players received their other prize monies from the South African Football Association and national government. On Thursday, Limpopo Premier Stanley Mathabataha reshuffled his cabinet replacing Moraka with Nakedi Sibanda-Kekana, who was sworn in as MEC on Friday.
This is not the first time the department has not paid players their money following an incident in 2019. Matlou and Ramalepe were named as recipients of the MEC’s excellent awards worth R20 000 at the Limpopo Sports Awards in October 2019, but only through the help of the media the players got the money the following year.
When asked for a comment on the matter the department’s head of communication Kenny Mathivha said it was administrative oversight from their sport unit and the players will get the money in November.
“It was an administrative overlook from our Sport unit. As you know we have about three, four arms in the department, Arts, Culture, Sport unit and then cultural affairs which deals with the different creative arts in the province,” Mathivha told iDiski Times.
“The idea is that we are going to have Sports Awards on 5 of November. The set-up was that these ladies have been included in the awards that will be given because there are money incentives for all those who will win the sports awards.
“What was the oversight from our unit was the correspondence because ideally I understand from their side that if somebody says you have won one, two, three, four and spend three months without saying how you are going to get your money, you will get concerned.”
Mathivha said the department will make contact with the players from today.
Story by Lethabo Kganyago (@KganyagoLee).
