Swimming South Africa Establishes Strategic Framework to Elevate Water Polo Standards

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Swimming South Africa (SSA) has taken decisive steps to enhance the development and competitiveness of water polo in the country. During a recently convened strategic workshop, SSA outlined a structured roadmap aimed at integrating the school sports environment with a more robust club system. This framework is designed to create a strong foundation for elite player development, ensuring South African water polo remains competitive on the international stage.

A key element of this framework is the expansion of the water polo ecosystem, beginning with SSA’s Splash Polo Programme to build awareness and grassroots participation. Progression will be facilitated through the establishment of structured junior leagues at the U16, U18, and U20 levels, serving as key talent identification pathways leading into SSA’s High-Performance elite squad system.

Key Strategic Deliverables

The workshop identified critical objectives necessary to elevate water polo in South Africa. These include:

Transformation and Inclusion: Ensuring that the sport reflects the diverse demographics of the country and becomes more accessible to all communities.
Technical and Officiating Standards: Enhancing the training and certification of technical officials to elevate officiating standards to world-class levels.
League Development: Establishing structured leagues across SSA’s districts and provinces to strengthen national participation.
International Competitiveness: Identifying key international tournaments for elite squad development and exposure to top-tier competition.
Governance and Management Enhancement: Strengthening operational management, financial oversight, and reporting mechanisms within SSA’s water polo structures.

Addressing Structural Deficiencies

SSA’s annual audit of provincial affiliates and water polo structures revealed critical weaknesses that must be addressed to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of the sport. Notably:

Limited Club Infrastructure: Only ten water polo clubs are formally registered nationwide, highlighting the need for expansion and better coordination.
Dysfunctional Provincial Structures: Several provincial water polo bodies lack formal governance, with only four provinces demonstrating structured administration. Many failed to provide documentation on elected committees or meeting minutes.
School Sport Compliance Issues: Certain school structures do not align with national school sports policies, necessitating urgent intervention.
Financial Irregularities: Numerous financial discrepancies were uncovered, with many provincial structures unable to provide audited financial statements. A lack of financial transparency has raised governance concerns, with persistent complaints from parents regarding financial mismanagement and conflicts of interest.
Lack of Transformation: Barriers to participation and a failure to address diversity and inclusion remain pressing concerns within the water polo community.

SSA’s Commitment to Good Governance

Swimming South Africa remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding governance principles, ensuring compliance with its constitution and policies.

“As a federation, we are dedicated to the structured and disciplined growth of all aquatic disciplines, including water polo. The challenges identified in our recent audit demand immediate intervention, and we are implementing measures to ensure a sustainable and well-managed water polo ecosystem,” said Shaun Adriaanse, Chief Executive Officer of SSA.

SSA has introduced an Operations Committee to standardize processes, strengthen athlete-centric development, and enforce compliance with governance protocols. Despite calls to circumvent constitutional mandates for individual interests, SSA remains firm that any constitutional amendments must follow due process, ensuring accountability and transparency. Parallel or unauthorized structures will not be recognized.

Intervention and Next Steps

In an effort to rectify ongoing governance and operational deficiencies, SSA previously appointed an individual to guide the restructuring process. However, this intervention did not yield the desired outcomes. Consequently, SSA will appoint a dedicated task team to conduct a comprehensive investigation and implement necessary corrective measures.

SSA will also engage with key stakeholders, including provincial federations, school sports bodies, and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), to ensure alignment with national and international governance structures. Additionally, SSA will collaborate with World Aquatics and other international bodies to benchmark best practices and ensure that South African water polo is positioned to compete at the highest levels globally.

SSA remains committed to fostering a thriving water polo landscape that aligns with international standards, promotes inclusivity, and upholds the highest levels of governance and integrity.

The National Sport and Recreation Act 110 of 1998 defines a "national federation" as: "a national governing body of a code of sport in the Republic recognized by the relevant international controlling body as the only authority for the administration and control of the relative code of sport in the Republic."

South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) explicitly supports the principle of recognising only one national federation per sport. According to SASCOC's constitution: "Only one (1) National Federation shall be recognised as a Member governing a sport or one (1) or more related disciplines of the sport in the Republic."

According to the World Aquatics Constitution, only one national body per country is recognised as a member. The relevant section states: "Only one National Body shall be recognised as a Member in each Country."

As part of its commitment to enhancing transparency and accountability, SSA will enforce stricter financial controls, establish clear reporting structures, and introduce independent audits to ensure compliance with governance standards.

Furthermore, SSA will launch a national campaign to promote diversity and inclusion in water polo, addressing barriers to entry and fostering greater participation from historically underrepresented communities.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Mafata Modutoane

mafata.modutoane@swimsa.org or 073 226 5688.

Swimming South Africa is the governing body of aquatics in South Africa.

Its objective is to encourage the practice of aquatic disciplines for all in South Africa with the purpose of promoting swimming as a life skill through Learn to Swim programmes; providing healthy exercise to South Africans of all ages and races; recruiting recreational swimmers to compete in the various competitions; and promoting competition and athlete development to the highest level. Swimming South Africa is kindly supported by SASCOC, National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, Arena, Sport & Recreation SA and Rand Water.