Sport Department Flags R67 Million Irregular Spending
The Auditor-General identified R67 million in irregular expenditure at the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture for the 2025/26 financial year.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Cultural
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The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture recorded R67 million in irregular expenditure for 2025/26, according to the Auditor-General. Audit findings also showed the 2024/25 figure was R42 million, well above the R10.43 million the department had reported.
Why it matters
The findings point to weak financial controls and slow progress in clearing historical irregular spending across the department's portfolio. Minister Gayton McKenzie said corrective steps are under way, with progress to be reported quarterly.
The Auditor-General's audit found 2024/25 irregular expenditure was R42 million, against R10.43 million reported by the department. Only 16% of the 2023/24 balance and 5% of the 2024/25 balance were addressed by year end, and the unquantified amounts at the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex and Robben Island remain unresolved.
The players
Gayton McKenzie
Gayton McKenzie is South Africa's Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, responsible for the department whose audit findings were released.
Department of Sport, Arts and Culture
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is the South African national government department responsible for sport, arts, culture and heritage sites such as Robben Island.
The details
The Auditor-General found weaknesses in internal audit, audit committee effectiveness and governance across parts of the department's portfolio. Minister Gayton McKenzie said the department is strengthening supply-chain management compliance, internal assurance and financial controls under an audit action plan with set deadlines.
Timeline
2024/25 financial year: department reports R10.43 million in irregular expenditure, later audited at R42 million.
2023/24: 16% of the irregular-expenditure balance is addressed by year end.
2025/26 financial year: Auditor-General identifies R67 million in irregular expenditure.
Season Trajectory
The Auditor-General's annual audits of South African national departments have repeatedly flagged irregular expenditure, and this report shows the same pattern of under-reporting and slow remediation at the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. Progress on historical balances will determine whether the department moves beyond the audit findings it has carried across successive financial years.
Public arts, heritage and sport programmes funded through the department may face tighter financial controls and reporting delays while the corrective action plan is implemented. Quarterly progress updates will show whether these programmes continue to operate as planned.
The takeaway
Clearing historical irregular expenditure depends on consistent follow-through on audit action plans rather than one-off reporting. Watching the quarterly progress updates is the clearest way to judge whether controls are improving.
Further reading
For related coverage, see the Cultural section on South African arts and heritage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Ghanamma.
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