Acting Sascoc CEO accused of turning a blind eye to doping

A senior SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) office-bearer failed to act on a doping-related issue raised by the SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport (Saids), says sports minister Nathi Mthethwa. 

As custodian of Olympic sport and the Olympic Charter in SA, Sascoc is duty-bound to pursue anti-doping measures as required in the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) code.

In a written reply to questions on doping in sport by DA MP Denis Joseph, Mthethwa said Saids had fined Bodybuilding SA R300,000 for “the high number of doping positives and repeated doping offences at their national championships over a four-year period”.

“The transgressions continued in 2019 and 2021. The fine was in line with the articles in the SA antidoping rule and the [Wada] code.

“The matter was escalated to Sascoc in 2019. The then acting CEO refused to act against the federation,” Mthethwa said.

It is understood the Sascoc council endorsed the fine, but the process later stalled.

The acting CEO of Sascoc at the time was Ravi Govender, who left the umbrella body at the end of 2021. A Bodybuilding SA executive, Kaya Majeke, was also on the Sascoc board at the time. 

“The matter has been resent to the new president of Sascoc and DDG [deputy director-general] of DSAC [the department of sport, arts and culture].”

It is understood that Bodybuilding SA has not yet paid the fine.

The minister also referred to a case where the president of the SA Wrestling Federation, Sakkie Bosse, allegedly threatened to sue Saids after a national competitor was charged with an doping violation.

“The wrestling body did not follow through with their threats and the wrestler was sanctioned by Saids,” he said in the written reply.