Just News |
The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) says it has learnt with disappointment about reports that players for the South African Women’s Senior National Team (Banyana Banyana) will each receive a R55,000 bonus payment for reaching the finals of the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The Commission believes this amount is unfair for a group of hard-working female athletes who have performed excellently to fly the South African flag high at this tournament.
Commission Spokesperson Javu Baloyi said it is their understanding that players in the senior national men’s team receive different bonus amounts when they participate in tournaments of the same level, and this should be a cause for concern in the sport and athletic fraternity.
“This unfairness cannot be allowed to continue. To the best of our knowledge, the South African Football Association (SAFA) had committed to paying Bafana Bafana players R250,000 each had they qualified for the upcoming FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar”.
Baloyi said the Commission is failing to understand why Banyana Banyana players are not remunerated on the same scale as their male counterparts for all the matches won to reach the finals on Saturday in Morocco.
The CGE is calling on SAFA to re-think the bonus structure for Banyana Banyana and bring it on par with remuneration structures for the men’s team. “The Commission with continue to engage with SAFA leadership to address this thorny issue of the pay gap between the national teams, and gender transformation within the South African football”.
