{"id":55498,"date":"2026-04-09T09:23:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T09:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=55498"},"modified":"2026-04-09T09:23:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T09:23:39","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigngayton-mckenzie-reveals-r700k-spent-on-mama-joys-world-cup-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/04\/09\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigngayton-mckenzie-reveals-r700k-spent-on-mama-joys-world-cup-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Gayton McKenzie reveals R700k spent on Mama Joy\u2019s World Cup trip"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"mvp-content-main\">&#13;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_163812\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-163812\" class=\"wp-image-163812 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gayton-McKenzie-reveals-R700k-spent-on-Mama-Joys-World-Cup.jpg?resize=600%2C355&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gayton-McKenzie-reveals-R700k-spent-on-Mama-Joys-World-Cup.jpg 600w, https:\/\/fakazanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Gayton-McKenzie-Mama-Joy-300x178.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fakazanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Gayton-McKenzie-Mama-Joy-150x90.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-163812\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gayton reveals the amount spent on Mama Joy\u2019s World Cup fan trip\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>South Africa\u2019s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie has lifted the lid on government spending tied to superfan Mama Joy Chauke\u2019s attendance at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.<\/p>\n<p>McKenzie confirmed that approximately R700,000 was spent on ensuring Mama Joy\u2019s presence at the global tournament, where she was seen rallying behind the Springboks.<\/p>\n<p>His remarks come at a time when he is facing backlash for his decision to halt state-funded travel for superfans to major international sporting events, including the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>The revelation did not land quietly, as it followed sharp criticism from Mama Joy, who has openly challenged the minister\u2019s stance and even called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove him from office.<\/p>\n<p>Tensions escalated further when Mama Joy disputed claims that government departments had ever funded her trips.<\/p>\n<p>In a recent interview, she insisted that her past travels were not covered by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, instead crediting the president directly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe never paid for me. I approached the president, and he covered it himself,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>McKenzie, however, firmly rejected that version of events, stating that official records tell a different story.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, both her previous trips were financed through the department, not by the president personally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope this settles the issue once and for all,\u201d he said, adding that documentation from before his tenure clearly shows the state carried the costs, including the 2023 World Cup trip which alone totalled R700,000.<\/p>\n<p>The minister also suggested that Mama Joy\u2019s future travel should not fall on taxpayers, arguing that her personal circumstances, including her marriage to a French national should play a role in funding such trips going forward.<\/p>\n<p>As both sides continue to stand firm, the public spat has sparked mixed reactions online, with some supporting McKenzie\u2019s push for accountability, while others defend Mama Joy\u2019s long-standing presence as one of the country\u2019s most recognisable supporters on the global stage.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Let me be clear: the President of the country did not pay for Mama Joy\u2019s trips, despite what she may think. DSAC did. Both trips I could find info on from before my term were covered by the department. Her France trip alone cost R700k. I hope this matter can now be put to rest. <\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GaytonMcK\/status\/2041819300072149431?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">April 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 4 -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Gayton #McKenzie #reveals #R700k #spent #Mama #Joys #World #Cup #trip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#13; Gayton reveals the amount spent on Mama Joy\u2019s World Cup fan trip\u00a0 South Africa\u2019s Minister of Sport, Arts and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55498"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55500,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55498\/revisions\/55500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}