PAPER TRAIL: Panel recommends ‘removal’ of Athletics SA president over credit card abuse

Suspended Athletics South Africa (ASA) president James Moloi treated the federation’s credit card “like his own personal slush card”, an independent disciplinary panel has found.The panel, chaired by retired Judge President Basheer Waglay, found Moloi misused the federation’s corporate credit card and has recommended that he be removed from office.The charge sheet accused him of using the card for personal purchases including liquor, clothing, an electronic device, a cash advance, groceries, meals, travel, fuel and tyres. The panel found that, at the very least, the transactions it examined were “personal, unauthorised or unsubstantiated”.In its 55-page findings, dated 6 October 2026, the panel’s report was scathing. It said the evidence painted “a picture of a president treating the corporate credit card as his own personal slush card, available for whatever or whenever he needed it, provided that he marked the transaction as business-related.”The panel found that Moloi had also misappropriated ASA assets.While ASA’s leadership flounders, athletes such as 200m sensation Sinesipho Dambile (No 6) continue to shine. Here Dambile wins the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland on 31 July, 2026. (Photo: Michael Steele / Getty Images) It also found him guilty of receiving a dual benefit of drawing an R18,000 monthly president’s allowance for April 2024 while continuing to use the card that the allowance was meant to replace.The case began at a meeting of the parliamentary sport, arts and culture committee, where ASA presented its 2023/2024 financial report. Concerns were raised about the president’s use of the corporate card.The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) then instructed Forvis Mazars Forensic Services to investigate. Its report, sent to Sascoc on 11 September 2025, found that the card had been used 399 times between May 2023 and April 2024, and that there was prima facie evidence that Moloi had misused it. The charges put the total for that period at more than R300,000.Moloi denied all the charges.The chargesASA levelled four charges at Moloi. The first was “failure to account for corporate card expenditure”.The second was more detailed, accusing Moloi of “exceeding the corporate card monthly spending limit of R15,000 nine out of the 12 months of the period from May 2023 to April 2024.”The report said that Moloi used the ASA corporate credit card for expenditure that was “personal, unauthorised or not adequately substantiated as ASA business expenditure”.800m star Prudence Sekgodiso in action at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on 27 July 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo: Paul Harding / Getty Images) It also noted that he was “charged with the failure to maintain and submit sufficient documentation to establish that the expenditure was for ASA business.”The fourth charge related to the dual benefit of the spending R18,000 monthly allowance and still using the company credit card.The panel dismissed two of the four charges against Moloi. Its findings were unanimous. Alongside Waglay, it comprised Nellie Tiyago, nominated by the Confederation of African Athletics, and Valentine Bushelo, nominated by Sascoc.Moloi was found not guilty on the first charge because ASA had no official credit card policy. The panel nonetheless found Moloi partly to blame, since he had delegated policy work to his deputy and never followed up.Personal transactionsWith regard to charge three, there are several colourful examples from the hearing.Moloi denied making a small cash withdrawal from an ATM using the company credit card, insisting that he could not use the card for that purpose.But bank statements show R300 was withdrawn from an ATM.Zakithi Nene of South Africa leads the 4x400m relay race at the World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 at Botswana National Stadium on 2 May, 2026. (Photo: Cecilia van Bers / Gallo Images) “Mr Moloi has not provided evidence stating that this withdrawal had been done for ASA business-related purposes; he has simply put up a bare denial of the existence of the transaction, without anything to substantiate his defence,” the report states.“Without evidence to the contrary, this transaction must be treated as being personal, unauthorised or unsubstantiated.”Moloi also bought a phone at an iStore, which he said replaced a lost ASA phone, and spent money at Supa Quick, which he said was for a tyre after a puncture on his way to an ASA meeting he “could not miss”.A roll call of some of South Africa sport’s leadership suspensions. (Graphic: DM using Claude AI)But there was scepticism from the panel. “Curiously, the receipt from Supa Quick identifies the transaction as a ‘service’ and not a tyre purchase,” the report states.“This is not explained. This does not cure the problem that this evidence is simply a bare and unsubstantiated statement against the allegation proffered.”Moloi also spent money on fitness equipment from a Cape Union Mart outlet. His documented evidence states it was done because he felt pressurised to get into better shape, apparently after representatives of sponsor Absa suggested he “lead by example”.“He was not told by ASA to make the purchase; his personal fitness does not fall under his constitutional duties as president,” the report notes. “The equipment was for his own use and benefit; whatever the motivation, it was a personal purchase.Moloi also bought goods from Total Sports, which appeared to be personal purchases despite claims to the contrary.“The same rings true for the Total Sport transaction. Mr Moloi tells us that he had to purchase Puma apparel as he was on his way to attend a Puma event and had arrived wearing Nike,” the report continued.“He does not inform us why he did not wear Puma attire to go to the event; surely, he would have known what event he was going to attend, nor does he tell us that he did own any Puma attire.“He was not instructed by ASA to wear Puma. He made this decision himself, using corporate funds in order to ‘keep up’ with those around him.”And so it goes on. There is a purchase of a tracksuit from Foschini, allegedly for a young female athlete.There are numerous unexplained expenses for restaurants and taverns to meet “potential sponsors”, of which nothing ever materialised.James Moloi, suspended president of Athletics South Africa. (Photo: Grant Pitcher / Gallo Images) “When asked about these transactions, specifically those that occurred at Mbatha’s Tavern, Mr Moloi indicated that he had met two businessmen from Limpopo who were potential sponsors,” the report says.“He did not remember their names, but stated that they were stakeholders he had been introduced to by a friend, so he had to meet them.“The Mbatha’s Tavern explanation is a common thread across Mr Moloi’s testimony. If the entirety of his evidence in relation to the restaurant spend had to be summarised into one sentence, it would be: he met someone, maybe a sponsor, maybe a chairperson; nothing came of the meeting, but he spent the money in the hope that it would benefit ASA.”Moloi was found guilty of unauthorised or inadequately justified use of ASA assets. Other chargesMoloi was found not guilty on the second charge of exceeding the spending limit of the card because ASA officials regularly added more funds when the card was declined.The panel did not accept that Moloi was unaware of the limit.“If I accept that Mr Moloi was not told that there was a limit, the card declining more than 30 times in the reporting period (sometimes twice or more in a single day), followed by calls to Ms Shembeni (which would result in more money being deposited), is enough to raise the inference that Mr Moloi was aware that there was a limit on that card,” the report states.“Even if he did not know the specific monetary value of the limit, he knew that when the card was declined, he would need to telephone ASA for them to resolve the problem, which was resolved with more money being deposited into the credit card and he could continue to use it.”But acting ASA CEO Terrence Magogodela conceded that he and Finance Committee chairperson Jakes Jacobs had authorised extra funds in those nine months, so ASA had in effect sanctioned the overspending.On 21 March 2024, the ASA Board approved a president’s discretionary allowance of R18,000 a month from 1 April 2024. The Finance Committee had recommended that the president receive either the allowance or the card, not both.In April 2024, Moloi made 26 purchases on the credit card totalling R24,841.95.Magogodela testified that he had approved payment of the allowance on 2 April 2024. Moloi produced a bank statement showing an R18,000 payment on 30 April 2024 and said the late payment meant he still needed the card that month.The statement began on 5 April 2024. Moloi told the hearing he had about five bank accounts and did not normally check his statements. Asked by the chairperson why he had not obtained statements for 1-4 April after being told to bring every relevant document, he replied: “I never asked for that.”The panel found that neither side had proved the payment date, but that it was not decisive: on Moloi’s own version, he had received both the allowance and the card spending for April 2024.Moloi repaid the April card spending after the Mazars report.The panel said this evidence “borders on the disingenuous”. It found that his repayment showed “he knew and accepted, at the time, that a dual benefit had occurred”, and found him guilty on the charge.SanctionSome of the final remarks from the panel were the most cutting.“The charges Mr Moloi has been found guilty of are serious, bordering on, if not actually, dishonest.“Although with regard to charge four Mr Moloi has paid and thus cured the abuse, his evidence and his conduct in relation to both charges three and four are lacking, both in substantiation and in candour.“In looking at the evidence for charge three, the evidence paints a picture of flagrant financial mismanagement within an organisation that was already struggling.“Once you add the conduct of the President into this mix, what emerges is a picture of a President treating the corporate credit card like his own personal slush card, available for whatever or whenever he needed it, provided that he marked the transaction as business-related.“The disciplinary panel recommended the removal of Mr Moloi as President and Board member of ASA.”It’s now up to the ASA Board to accept or reject the panel’s recommendations. DM