Gauteng MEC Morakane Mosupyoe issues specific conditions for the Soweto Marathon rescue

In light of this, Mosupyoe has given SMT and CGA an ultimatum, warning them that they risk losing the allocated budget intended to rescue the Soweto Marathon. To address the issue of TV rights, Mosupyoe has made herself available for a meeting with CGA, SMT, and Athletics South Africa. Mosupyoe emphasized the importance of compliance with the regulation and urged the parties to resolve their issues, or else they would forfeit the government support. It should be noted that last year, SMT prevented the race from being televised on SuperSport, a pay channel, which consequently made the TV broadcast rights unaffordable for SABC.

"It's something that when I joined the department I found on the table and I just want to put something on the table and make it clear. I'm uncomfortable with people not telling the whole truth because I am not unavailable to them," Mosupyoe said.

"They did meet with the office twice before the marathon last year. The issues, and problems that they have with ASA were also discussed. I asked them to meet ASA themselves and SABC to iron out their issues.

The big issue here is around compliance and there's no way that we as government will be seeing to be supporting people who do not want to comply. It's not about ownership of the marathon, it's not about those things, it's about broadcasting rights and they know what the contract says. 

So, as it is I got correspondence about two weeks ago from ASA appraising me on developments around the resolution of the issues that they had on the table. Nothing but issues of compliance."

A few weeks ago, SMT and CGA sent a letter to the MEC’S office, seeking a meeting. However, the MEC firmly warned them that unless they address the situation properly, she would not provide any rescue assistance. Her message was crystal clear: they needed to resolve the existing issues or forfeit the allocated funds. 

"I have not met with them after I received the letter. I don't want to discuss the content before I share it with them but immediately after that we can have another interview and we'll talk about it, preferably with them present and ASA," the MEC added.

"But there's nothing complicated about that thing, compliance, compliance and compliance. I can't as MEC, as executive authority agree to doing things that are not in line with the law and they know, all parties know," she added.

"I'm going to insist that everybody does what is correct in law. SABC was also part [of it] because the broadcasting rights that are being disputed centre around whatever they had with SABC and SuperSport. I stand corrected on that but I think it's SuperSport.

We can't say they are not part of it because they are not necessarily signatories to the contract but they are also bound by their own policies in their respect areas of responsibility."