The acquisition of Ticketpro by a women-owned empowerment consortium puts the company in control of ticketing for Cricket South Africa and the South African Football Association. This development is significant as the company is expected to handle ticket sales for the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup and the upcoming 2026/2027 Proteas summer season. The ownership transition involves a board appointee of Sport Minister Gayton McKenzie and his former chief of staff, both associated with the Patriotic Alliance, stirring questions about commercial influence in the sports sector.
While this ownership shift proceeds, the Minister has faced intense scrutiny in Parliament regarding financial management within his department. Auditor-General reports recently confirmed instances of fraud, including manipulation of payment amounts and invalid bank account details among departmental funding beneficiaries. During two separate parliamentary committee sessions, the Minister was absent or departed early to attend political meetings and the announcement of the 2027 Cricket World Cup schedule, prompting criticism from committee chair Joe McGluwa over the lack of accountability regarding serious financial concerns.
Regarding the Ticketpro deal, the Minister has explicitly denied any involvement in procurement decisions. Through a spokesperson, he stated that the company is a long-established entity that must adhere to standard procurement rules, on which he claims to exert no influence. As investigations into departmental funding continue, the oversight of sports bodies and their commercial partnerships remains a central point of friction between the ministry and parliamentary committees tasked with monitoring the use of public funds.