For decades, Joyce “Mama Joy” Chauke has been the a familiar face of South African sports fandom, but her attendance at major events has also divided opinion.
Clad in her elaborate traditional attire, signature makarapa, and beaming smile, she has travelled the globe to fly the South African flag at major international sports tournaments, from Rugby World Cups to various soccer showpiece.
In recent times, though, the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture, led by Minister Gayton McKenzie, has insisted there would no longer be state funding to enable her to travel to events at exorbitant costs.
“Why should I lie using diplomatic language? Our policy is not under review,” McKenzie stated. “We are not going to pay for super fans as a department. It’s unfair because South Africa is full of super fans.”
Mama Joy finds her own way to World Cup
With Bafana Bafana qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, Mama Joy has made public appeals for financial backing to attend the tournament.
Despite the high-profile rejection from the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture, Mama Joy recently confirmed that she had secured alternative arrangements to ensure she wouldn’t be watching the tournament from her couch.
Speaking to KickOff Magazine, she confidently stated that she would be inside the stadium for all three of South Africa’s group-stage fixtures, and taking to social media on Tuesday, Mama Joy began documenting her travels and arrival.