The National Schools Athletics Championships have been postponed from 8–11 April 2026 to 29 April 2026 following a last-minute venue change caused by the unavailability of Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, sparking criticism from organisers, government stakeholders, political parties and leaving athletes in limbo while parents face financial losses.
The postponement was confirmed in a joint statement by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and South African Schools Athletics (SASA).
The championships have since been moved to Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria.
The disruption has drawn widespread criticism, with the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (FEDSAS) calling for school sport to be placed under the full control of the Department of Basic Education, citing repeated administrative failures.
FEDSAS CEO Jaco Deacon said parents and athletes were bearing the cost of what he described as poor planning.
“Athletes are disadvantaged and parents are suffering significant financial losses due to incompetent officials’ inability to do basic planning. Heads should roll,” Deacon said.
He said the current crisis followed similar problems last year when the event in Bloemfontein was affected by poor accommodation and meal arrangements.
“A year later and here we are again with our top school athletes at the mercy of incompetent government officials,” he said.
“These athletes have been training for the entire season to reach peak performance this week. Their parents have incurred expenses and taken leave to support them.”
Deacon said provinces had already committed significant resources and educators had been deployed as officials during school hours.
FEDSAS called on ministers to urgently intervene, demanding a transparent investigation, disciplinary action and compensation for affected families and provinces.
The organisation also criticised coordination between the departments and sporting bodies, including tensions between SASA and Athletics South Africa.
The Western Cape government also expressed concern, saying the situation reflected broader coordination failures within the national school sport system.
It said that although accommodation and travel arrangements had been finalised, provinces were left uncertain due to a lack of a consolidated national position.
“As a result, athletes who have trained for months in preparation for this opportunity have been left without clarity on the way forward,” the provincial government said.
It said it had taken a precautionary approach to limit further financial exposure while awaiting confirmation on next steps.
The Western Cape government called for improved planning and coordination between national departments, federations and provinces, and urged urgent clarity from DSAC and SASA on the way forward.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo also criticised the handling of the postponement, describing it as “deeply troubling” and warning of repeated failures in school sport administration.
It said learners who had trained for months were now facing uncertainty, adding that similar disruptions had occurred in previous school sporting events.
The Limpopo Department of Sport, Arts and Culture later issued an apology for the inconvenience caused to athletes, stakeholders and the public.
The DA said it would continue to monitor the matter and push for accountability should negligence or poor planning be confirmed.
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