Swimming South Africa and Bombela Concession Company Forge Strategic Partnership to Advance Aquatic Excellence and Water Safety

For years, Swimming South Africa has been at the forefront of sporting excellence, with our athletes consistently delivering podium performances at premier continental and international competitions. This legacy of success is matched only by our commitment to community impact, particularly through our flagship Learn to Swim programme, which has successfully taught over one million South African children how to swim since its inception.

Despite these achievements, one of the greatest challenges we continue to face is the sustainability of our development programmes due to limited funding resources. This partnership with the Bombela Concession Company marks a crucial step forward in overcoming that barrier. The Bombela Concession Company has designed, built, and partially financed the Gautrain project via a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) with the Gauteng Provincial Government over a 20-year concession term. During this time, the Bombela Concession Company has operated and maintained this world-class system, an achievement that the Bombela Concession Company is exceptionally proud of.

“The Bombela Concession Company and its shareholders are committed to building more than infrastructure. The work that we do contributes to building futures, particularly those of young people. We therefore see our investment in swimming as an investment in future leaders who train hard knowing that every stroke matters, and who never quit when the waters get rough,” Kushil Maharaj, Chairperson of the Bombela Concession Company and its majority shareholder, Intertoll.  Through this collaboration, we aim to:

Enhance support structures for elite athletes to ensure they continue to fly the South African flag high on the global stage.

Expand the reach and quality of our Learn to Swim programme, with the goal of making swimming a life skill accessible to all South Africans - regardless of background or geographic location.

Promote inclusivity and safety in aquatic spaces while fostering a culture of sporting excellence from grassroots to elite levels.

“Swimming South Africa is more than a federation - it is a movement to empower our youth, protect our communities, and showcase South African talent on the world stage,” said SSA President Mr Alan Fritz. “Our partnership with the Bombela Concession Company is not only timely but transformative. Together, we can continue to build champions in the pool and instill lifelong water safety skills across the nation.”

Swimming South Africa extends its sincere gratitude to the Bombela Concession Company for joining hands with us to invest in a brighter, safer, and more competitive aquatic future for all.

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 Commission, Bombela Concession Company, Arena, Depart of Sport Art and Culture.