Gayton McKenzie has come under fire after he announced that the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture would fund trips to the FIFA World Cup for two South African music groups, Mi Casa and Mafikizolo.
The artists would form part of a group, including the winners of the Lucky Fan competition, that would travel to Mexico to watch Bafana Bafana’s first match in the tournament.
GAYTON MCKENZIE REVEALS MUSIC ACTS FOR FIFA WORLD CUP
Speaking to the media this week, Gayton McKenzie announced its fan initiative ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which takes place from 11 June to 19 July. The tournament will be hosted in three countries, Mexico, Canada and the US.
The minister revealed that representatives from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, together with Brand South Africa and SA Tourism, would send a delegation to Mexico, where Bafana Bafana would play their first match against the host country on 11 June.
The initiative involved setting up an activation space – called the Ekhaya Centre – that fans, journalists, podcasters, influencers, and industry personnel could live in and interact with.
Gayton said, “Ekhaya will be a place to watch football.
“It will be a place to see South African art, to hear South African music, to eat South African food. It will be a media centre for the journalists covering Bafana’s campaign. It will be a fan park and a fan engagement space. It will be a venue for business and investment networking – because when our flag is flying, our economy should be working alongside it.”
He added, “To those South African journalists, podcasters, and influencers who will go with us: you are not going to Mexico to cover a holiday. You are going to render a service to your country. You are going to tell South Africans, in their own voices and on their own platforms. What their players are doing on the world stage. That role is not always adequately recognised in this country, and it should be”.
The minister revealed that chefs and performers would be invited to cater to guests. Two of the acts include music groups Mi Casa and Mafikizolo.
He added: “When we take Mafikizolo and Mi Casa to the Americas, we are not taking background music. We are taking the soundtrack of modern South Africa”.
LUCKY FAN COMPETITION
The delegation would include the winners of the Lucky Fan competition, where 20 football fans would be selected to watch Bafana Bafana play Mexico in the opening match.
The competition is currently open and will close on 1 May at 17:00
Minister Gayton McKenzie will announce the winners on 5 May 2026.
To enter, applicants must do the following, via the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture official website:
- Record a 30-second video about why you are South Africa’s biggest PSL and Bafana supporter.
- Fill in your details in the form attached—only one entry per person.
- Upload and submit. A reference number will be provided on submission.
‘TAXPAYER-FUNDED HOLIDAY’
Gayton McKenzie’s plans for the department to fund an elaborate delegation to the FIFA World Cup have been met with public backlash.
On social media, many called out the minister for “wasting” taxpayer money.
X user @phume22 tweeted: “Using taxpayers’ money to take artists to the World Cup is diabolical. What’s Mafikozolo and Micasa’s affiliation to soccer anyway? 🤨
Another, @MbekezeliMB added: “There is no plan at the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture. It’s just vibes. At the same time that Mafikizolo and Mi Casa will be in America on a taxpayer-funded holiday in June, the National Arts Festival will be scraping by with barely any funding to support it.
A third, @Malatjie_, posted: “There is absolutely no need to take artists to the World Cup. It is an unnecessary expense”.
