School sports belong in the education sector. The fiasco with this year’s National Schools Athletics Championships has reconfirmed school governing body organisation FEDSAS’s calls for school sports to be a function of the Department of Basic Education. 

          The event, initially scheduled to start today (8 April 2026), was postponed on short notice to 29 April 2026. It was also moved to the Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria due to the unavailability of the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. The event is jointly organised by the Department of Basic Education, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, and SA Schools Athletics (Sasa).

          “We demand accountability. Athletes are disadvantaged and parents are suffering significant financial losses due to incompetent officials’ inability to do basic planning. Heads should roll,” says Dr Jaco Deacon, CEO of FEDSAS.

          Deacon says this year’s chaos is even worse compared to last year’s when the event in Bloemfontein was marked by insufficient accommodation and meals for athletes and officials.

          “Despite calls for action and confirmation that reports were compiled nothing has changed. A year later and here we are again with our top school athletes at the mercy of incompetent government officials. These athletes have been training for the entire season to reach peak performance this week. Their parents have incurred expenses and taken leave to support them. Provinces have spent a lot of money and hundreds of educators made arrangements to serve as officials during school hours.”

          FEDSAS is calling on the Ministers involved to step in immediately to ensure that the arrangements for the event are overseen at a high level. “We demand a transparent investigation and detailed feedback on disciplinary measures. FEDSAS also demands a national public apology to learners and parents as well as a mechanism to compensate parents and provinces for financial losses.”

          According to Deacon, the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture has often showed a lack of understanding for the school environment, school calendar, and the dynamics between school athletics events. “The cooperation between the two departments is also lacking and the tension between Sasa and Athletics SA is not adding to stability.”

          If school sports become a function of the Department of Basic Education there would be better alignment with the school calendar. “School sports should be actively promoted and funded. Not only is it crucial for the careers of our future athletes, but it also plays an important cohesive role in school communities and society at large."