Government became sports selector in a controversial and unprecedented move this week, ordering that two soccer teams go to the African Games in Morocco.
The cash-strapped SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) had limited selection to 11 sports in which participants could qualify for Tokyo 2020.
But acting sport, arts and culture minister Thoko Didiza bulldozed in at the request of the SA Football Association (Safa) to demand the inclusion of the men's under-20 and women's national soccer sides.
DECLINED EARLIER REQUESTS
Safa, offering to fund the teams itself, had gone to government after Sascoc had declined earlier requests for inclusion.
On Thursday Didiza sent a letter to Sascoc president Gideon Sam telling him to enter them. She wrote that she had "no intention to undermine the processes and policies of your qualifying criteria for these games".
But in the next paragraph she added: "In the interest of sport and the development of the game and greater interest of the players and the country as well as the stability of SA's international relationships in the continent, not just Morocco, the hosting country, I have decided to permit the men's and women's football teams to participate."
MINISTER'S DECISION CHALLENGEABLE
The Sunday Times has learned that Sascoc sought legal advice from an advocate who said the minister's decision was challengeable, but advised against fighting it.
"In his view it is not in the best interest of Sascoc to go toe to toe with the minister on this. In his words, 'you may win the battle but you will lose the war'," read a memorandum sent to board members.
Sascoc reasoned that the African Games was effectively a government entity because of its affiliation to the African Union.
A court battle would also be costly. "We're already depleted financially," said Sam.
If government were to stick its nose into teams for an Olympics, Paralympics or Commonwealth Games, then SA could be suspended, a Sascoc board member warned.
DA shadow sport minister Tsepo Mhlongo described the ministry's involvement as political interference and said if government had given Sascoc the necessary funds to send a full team, "this dispute ... would not have gotten to this point".
Sascoc is forking out R13m for the downsized team of just 113 athletes.
It seems the soccer body will fight Sascoc on Olympic qualifying criteria too.
Safa's acting CEO Russell Paul wrote in a letter to Sascoc that the men's under-23 and women's teams would proceed with their qualifying matches, and then added that it "would appear that Sascoc may still be finalising its own qualification process".
It is understood some federations have yet to sign their Tokyo qualifying agreements with Sascoc, including those who got burned for Rio 2016.
National Olympic Committees are allowed to make qualifying criteria tougher.
After the minister's intervention, Sascoc agreed that all other federations get the same chance, as long as they pay their own way.
Several bodies, including fencing and gymnastics, were scrambling to get competitors to Morocco. But officials from two sports - snooker and wrestling - said they had not been informed.
Fencer Juliana Barrett won a court order to be included in the team nearly three weeks ago, but the local organising committee said at the time it was too late.
Apparently late requests must be accompanied by supporting letters from the sport's continental confederation. Like Safa did.
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