Swimming SA, private body in court in fight for the soul of local water polo
A private organisation wanting to uplift water polo has told the Cape Town high court that Swimming South Africa (SSA) has failed to advance the sport locally, especially 'at an elite level'.
SSA, the national federation responsible for the aquatics disciplines of swimming, water polo, diving and artistic swimming, is seeking an interdict against the freshly-launched South Africa Water Polo (SAWP), a nonprofit company.
SSA's action, in which 14 respondents have been named, is being heard on Wednesday.
In heads of argument SSA is accusing SAWP, the first respondent, of trying to usurp its functions and of interfering in the running of the sport.
It says its status as the only national aquatics authority is recognised by the National Sport and Recreation Act, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) and the international governing body, World Aquatics.
SSA also cited a legal precedent to bolster its argument that only a single federation could run a sport in the country. '[SSA] is the only national federation for the sport of swimming recognised both locally ... as well as internationally.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Glenvista's Rorisang excels in swimming and gymnastics
Trinityhouse Glenvista's Grade Four learner, 10-year-old Rorisang Rakotsoana, recently competed in the Ekurhuleni District Artistic Gymnastics Gauteng qualifiers. She won a gold medal, received her Ekurhuleni district colours and earned an invitation to represent the Ekurhuleni Artistic Gymnastics at the Gauteng Festival. Her accomplishments don't stop there. Rorisang is proving herself to be a multi-talented athlete on land and in the water. She participated in the Swimming South Africa (SSA) Level 2 Regional Championships, competing against swimmers from the SADC region, including Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, and athletes from Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Rorisang swam 10 events, setting several personal bests and meeting the SSA Level 2 standards in all. She finished fifth in the women's 12-and-under 4x50m medley relay, fifth in the 12-and-under 4x50m mixed medley and 11th in the 50m butterfly. She now aims for promotion to level 3 for the 2025/2026 season. Rorisang began swimming at age three, inspired by her older brother, Letlotlo, an exceptional swimmer. 'She is a water baby and truly enjoys being in the pool. She started swimming competitively in June 2024 after registering with SSA as a Level 1 swimmer under the Cardinals Club with coach Claire Baty,' said Rorisang's mother, Motsei Rakotsoana. A top gymnast in the making Her early start in sports has played a pivotal role in her development. Rorisang started ballet at the age of three, which ignited a passion for acrobatics through dance routines that emphasised posture and balance. Her passion for gymnastics grew after watching Simone Biles, one of the most decorated gymnasts in history. 'After watching Simone Biles' documentary, she insisted we register her for artistic gymnastics and tumbling. We found the Alberton Twisters Gymnastics Club, and she is happy there, receiving excellent training,' said her mother. Consistent training and gymnastics classes laid the foundation for her competition readiness. Engaging in sports such as swimming and tennis helped her maintain emotional and physical balance during competitions. 'She maintains a balanced and nutritious diet to ensure she gets all the essential vitamins and minerals needed for a high-performing athlete,' added her mother. Rorisang reacted positively to her invitation to represent Ekurhuleni at the Gauteng Festival. She is accustomed to major swimming competitions and remains gracious in her successes. 'Rorisang is level-headed, performs well under pressure and sets realistic goals. She trusts the process and was grateful for the opportunity, making sure she never missed training to prepare fully for the festival,' Motsei said. Her parents hope Rorisang will use the skills gained in swimming and ballet to reach her full potential in gymnastics and compete in major competitions in the future. Motsei hopes Rorisang will one day represent SA internationally and exceed expectations. With her hard work, dedication, resilience and humility, they believe she will succeed. Rorisang is committed to gymnastics, attending every training session unless ill. She consistently gives her best, eats well and gets enough sleep to stay ready for training and competitions. She also watches gymnastics videos and documentaries to improve her skills. Her gymnastics journey is supported by parental sacrifices, with her mother and father coaching her and providing psychological support. 'Her demanding schedule has taught her discipline on and off the field. She is among the top students in her grade, achieving an A average for cycle one of 2025,' said her mother. 'We thank Rorisang's coaches at the Twisters Gymnastics Centre for their support and training. They have created a great environment for her to reach her potential. We also appreciate her tennis and soccer coaches at school for accommodating her busy schedule. Lastly, we are grateful to our extended family and friends for their encouragement. It means the world to us and Rorisang,' she concluded. Help her reach her full potential Rorisang's mother encourages parents to support their children's ambitions. She shared an inspiring post from Gino Skills Training that resonates with her: 'Behind every elite athlete is a parent committed to early mornings, late nights, long drives and tough conversations. Talent is only part of the equation. Guidance, sacrifice and consistency at home are the real foundations. Elite athletes don't happen by chance; they come from environments where accountability, support and high standards are constant. You cannot train like a pro if your circle doesn't move like one.' Rorisang's parents appreciate the contributions of her school teachers, family, friends and coaches. The financial cost of her gymnastics journey is significant. As a self-funded athlete, expenses for training, costumes, competition fees, accommodation outside Gauteng, and transport require substantial resources. Sponsorship is urgently needed, as supporting her fully is beyond her parents' means. 'We are seeking sponsorships to support her journey. Time is also a precious resource that requires careful planning to balance school, work and extracurricular activities.' Those interested in sponsoring Rorisang can call Motsei on 0781 847 783 or email thatorakotsoana@ or motseirakotsoana86@ At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TimesLIVE
16-05-2025
- TimesLIVE
Catherine van Rensburg in pool and open-water championship squads
Midmar Mile champion Catherine van Rensburg has been named in the world championship teams for pool and open-water swimming. The Tuks swimmer is down to compete in the 1,500m freestyle in the makeshift pool in Singapore, while in the open-water action at Sentosa section she will take on the 5km, 10km and 1,500m relay. A total of 17 pool swimmers and seven open-water swimmers were named by Swimming South Africa on Thursday, with the squads being posted on Facebook, though it's not clear if all will make the trip. Backstroke star Pieter Coetzé and breaststroker Kaylene Corbett, finalists at the 2024 Paris Olympics, are in the team, as is Rebecca Meder, the mainstay of the national team that took part at the world short-course championships in Budapest late last year. There will also be much interest in the performance of teenager Chris Smith, who made a final at the short-course gala in Hungary.
Daily Maverick
15-05-2025
- Daily Maverick
Swimming South Africa may have sunk its legal case against South Africa Water Polo
The decision on Swimming South Africa's attempted interdict against the newly formed South Africa Water Polo is pending after blunders blight the national federation's case. Swimming South Africa appears to have sunk its Western Cape Division of the High Court case in an attempt to interdict the newly formed South Africa Water Polo. There were several blunders in both Swimming SA's heads of argument, written and sent to the court before the court date, as well as its lawyer's defence set out before Judge Judith Cloete on Wednesday. Towards the end of proceedings, Swimming SA conceded that SA Water Polo did not need its consent to exist, practically relinquishing the original reason for its request for an interdict against the water polo body. Swimming SA also did not stipulate in its heads of argument which statutory right, which forms the basis of its case, SA Water Polo transgressed. Later, Swimming SA stated that SA Water Polo was passing itself off as the governing body for water polo. It simultaneously claimed that SA Water Polo was a body parallel to Swimming SA. Judge Cloete said the statements were contradictory. After a back-and-forth, Swimming SA submitted that only the latter was true, that SA Water Polo was a parallel body and was not passing itself off as the administrator of the sport. Sinking defence Swimming SA, in its argument, referred to Section 1 of the National Sport and Recreation Act 110 of 1998 (NSRA Act) in its defence. The NSRA defines a national federation as the national governing body for a code of sport 'recognised by the relevant controlling international … body as the only authority for the administration and control of the relative code of sport … in the Republic'. But Judge Cloete contended that SA Water Polo had never purported to be a national federation, but instead, a national body. The difference was that there could be only one national federation, but several national bodies. An organisation also first became a national body before becoming a national federation. Swimming SA attempted to argue the merits of SA Water Polo's future application for membership of World Aquatics, but the judge ruled this as irrelevant to the current court case, and something that World Aquatics would have to decide on. Judge Cloete continually asked Swimming SA's lawyers which law stated that there could be no other national body besides itself. Swimming SA eventually concurred that a separate national body was permitted to exist, 'but it won't get [SA Water Polo] anywhere'. The judge asked: given Swimming SA's acceptance of SA Water Polo as a national body, why then was Swimming SA asking for an interdict against SA Water Polo if it recognised its right to exist? The court proceedings began with Swimming SA claiming that SA Water Polo should not be allowed to exist, but after Swimming SA could not cite laws inhibiting SA Water Polo's existence, it moved on to arguing that SA Water Polo's existence came with 'consequences'. The consequences, Swimming SA said, included that members of SA Water Polo would not qualify for provincial or national representation because they would not be members of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc). Swimming SA also argued that SA Water Polo members would be unable to participate in organised water polo events such as the Olympic Games and the World Championships because it was not yet a registered member of World Aquatics. The World Aquatics Championships are set to take place in Singapore in July 2025. Swimming SA argued that SA Water Polo had disrupted the preparation for this event, in which the national men's and women's water polo teams were expected to participate. Constitutional rights Swimming SA said that SA Water Polo had interfered with Swimming SA's governance and administration of the sport by urging its water polo members to join SA Water Polo. SA Water Polo used section 18 of the South African Constitution dealing with the freedom of association in its defence. Section 18 encompasses both an individual's right to join or leave groups voluntarily, the right of the group to take collective action to pursue the interests of its members, and the right of an association to accept or decline membership based on certain criteria. SA Water Polo argued that neither the NSRA Act nor Sascoc's constitution inhibited SA Water Polo from existing, which meant that Swimming SA was not entitled to an interdict. SA Water Polo's lawyers used a letter of intent, published on 19 March – which had prompted Swimming SA to seek the interdict – as the basis of its argument that the water polo body was not attempting to usurp Swimming SA, as claimed. There was no evidence, based on the letter of intent, that SA Water Polo had attempted to usurp SA Swimming, the lawyers submitted. Members When Judge Cloete requested evidence that SA Water Polo had claimed to be the administrators of water polo in the country, Swimming SA indicated that members had left its federation to join SA Water Polo. Judge Cloete said that regardless of her decision, she could not force members to rejoin Swimming SA because they were not party to the court proceedings. She said that no evidence had been provided by Swimming SA on why those members had 'jumped pool', so SA Water Polo could not be blamed.
