Athletics South Africa (ASA) is in a race to get re-registered before the end of the month or miss the chance to apply for much-needed Lotto funding.
It emerged this week that the non-profit company was deregistered last month by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CPIC) — meaning it ceased to exist.
The deadline for the latest round of funding applications to the National Lotteries Commission is March 31, and the Sunday Times has been told if ASA is not re-registered by then, it won’t be eligible for funding.
Lotto money is often used to send teams abroad, and the world championships in Tokyo in September will be a major expense for cash-strapped ASA, which has employed a policy of taking every athlete who qualifies.
But president James Moloi downplayed the deregistration this week, even chuckling as he insisted it would be sorted out within a week or two. “This is a minor problem,” he said, adding the issue was that a director from the time of president Leonard Chuene, who was removed from the board in 2009, was erroneously listed as active and needed to be removed.
“They wanted us to take her out, but it was not easy for us to find her... They managed to find her last year, she’s in Cape Town or somewhere.”
ASA directorships listed at the CPIC showed no previous executive members still listed as active.
Moloi said there was also an outstanding issue with Sars. “Sars was pressuring us and ... we had to go to Sars first and clear up what was outstanding for years ... Sars said: ‘No, it’s not a problem now.’”
The paperwork was being handled by ASA’s auditors, he added. “Everything is in order.”
Not everyone the Sunday Times spoke to was as confident in the CPIC red tape to process ASA’s reapplication in time.
Records show that the CPIC had initiated deregistration processes against ASA several times before — in 2013, 2016, 2019, 2022 and, most recently, December 2024 — all for “annual return non-compliance”.
These can include issues with audited financial statements and outdated directorships.
They were all sorted out except for the latest, with ASA going into final deregistration on February 5.
There is a view that every decision taken by ASA since then is technically invalid, most notably its suspension of Athletics Free State president Steven Swarts, a sexual offender who was elected in 2023 while still serving a suspended sentence.
ASA ordered a disciplinary hearing to probe Swarts.
There was also concern that the performances of athletes who competed in ASA’s first grand prix at Pilditch Stadium on Wednesday might not be accepted by World Athletics, although the international federation had already loaded these times and distances onto its database.
There’s another opinion that nothing will be affected unless it is challenged legally.
But being deregistered, especially coming so soon after what many observers felt was foot-dragging by ASA on the Swarts matter, could be a factor for voters when the national body’s board elections are staged in May.
But it’s business as usual at ASA, which on Friday named a small team of five to compete at the world indoor championships in Nanjing, China, from Friday to Sunday.
Prudence Sekgodiso, Akani Simbine and Marioné Fourie will be at the forefront of South Africa’s medal charge.
This isn’t a competition the country has taken seriously over the years — the haul is 10 medals from 16 events, compared to 27 gongs from 15 outdoor championships.
Sekgodiso is seventh in the world on the short track so far this year, while Fourie is 13th in the 60m hurdles and Simbine 47th in the 60m.
No South African woman has made a world indoor championship podium to date. Fourie is set to compete while mourning the loss of her coach, Jaun Strydom, who died this week.
Cheswill Johnson is 10th in the long jump and US-based Chris van Niekerk is 16th in the shot put.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.