4 April 2025
Joint Statement from Schools Water Polo South Africa (SWPSA) and Elevate Water
Polo (Pty) Ltd regarding Swimming South Africa (SSA) President’s Comments before
the Parliamentary Sports Portfolio Committee.
It has come to the attention of Schools Water Polo South Africa (SWPSA) and Elevate Water Polo
(Pty) Ltd that the President of Swimming South Africa (SSA) made certain statements before the
Parliamentary Sports Portfolio Committee on 1 April 2025 regarding the development of the water
polo coach development curriculum.
SWPSA is an independently run, non-profit organisation led by a dedicated team of volunteers
and serves as the national coordinating body for schools’ water polo in South Africa. Elevate
Water Polo is a private entity focused on advancing water polo coaching, development,
and education.
SWPSA and Elevate Water Polo are compelled to address the mistruths and factual inaccuracies
contained within these statements because if left unchallenged, there is a danger that they may
be believed to be true.
Specifically, the inference that an individual was paid R500,000 to write a coaching manual is
categorically false and constitutes a severe misrepresentation. This coach development
curriculum was the result of years of determined effort and collaboration between Elevate Water
Polo, SWPSA, and other schools’ bodies. Contrary to the SSA President’s assertion, this initiative
to address a critical gap in formal coach education within South African water polo, particularly
in light of the historical neglect, represents not a failure in governance, but rather responsible
and proactive governance by SWPSA.
The curriculum developed includes a comprehensive range of essential coaching knowledge and
skills, addressing holistic coaching, safeguarding, technical and tactical fundamentals, and
more. Furthermore, this robust and iteratively updated curriculum was made available to the
Swimming South Africa training and development department, and by extension its regional
affiliates, free of charge in 2023 for their Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
requirements.
We believe it is imperative to set the record straight and acknowledge the dedicated effort and
resources invested in creating this “valuable asset” for the development of water polo coaches
across South Africa.
A more comprehensive response detailing the facts surrounding the development and
accessibility of the coach development curriculum in question is available to those who wish to
read it.
Schools Water Polo South Africa
Elevate Water Polo