New Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Minister Zizi Kodwa says the issue of equal pay for Banyana Banyana and Bafana Bafana is on top of his portfolio to be sorted out between his department and SAFA.
Kodwa, who was roped in to head the sports sector a few weeks ago, says this matter is “non-negotiable” because, in his opinion, there is no difference in what they do.
The issue of equal pay has been the thorn matter around world, with Wales recently joining a growing list of other countries, including women’s world champions, the United States, Australia, Norway and Brazil, who have publicly committed to paying their men and women’s national teams the same amount.
Kodwa insisted that South Africa will soon join the list, as Banyana have done well for the country and they deserve equal pay.
“It’s non-negotiable,” said Kodwa to iDiski Times during the CAF Africa School Football Championship which took place in Durban.
“They kick the same ball, they play on the same pitch – it’s not like others play 30 minutes and others play 100 minutes, no.
“It’s non-negotiable.”
Banyana, unlike Bafana, have recently done well internationally, winning the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) last year to qualify for their second FIFA Women’s World Cup that will take place in New Zealand and Australia in the next couple of months.
Four years before that, Banyana reached the WAFCON final in 2018 in Ghana, losing to their biggest nemesis – Nigeria but still qualified for the maiden World Cup in France 2019.
Bafana last won a major trophy at the AFCON in 1996 and qualified for their last World Cup in 2010 by virtue of being the host of the 2010 tournament. On the pitch, they last qualified for the world’s showpiece in 2002.
However, during the recent international break they qualified for the upcoming AFCON, having missed the last year’s event in Cameroon.
