FRANSCHHOEK – Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie said the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is investigating Swimming South Africa (SSA) over the controversial Franschhoek High Performance Centre project, contradicting earlier claims by the federation that no such probe exists.

In February, SSA denied reports that it was under investigation by the SIU. In a statement issued at the time, the federation said allegations of an SIU probe were “factually incorrect and without basis”.

“SSA categorically places it on record that Swimming South Africa is not under investigation by the SIU, has never been notified of any investigation, and has not been contacted by the SIU or any investigative authority at any time,” the organisation said.

McKenzie addressed the matter last week, on Tuesday 12 May, after delivering his budget vote speech in Parliament, where he fielded questions on several issues affecting South African sport.

The minister confirmed that investigators are looking into the stalled Franschhoek project, which was intended to become a world-class aquatic and high-performance training centre but has instead been left incomplete. “The SIU has taken a keen interest in it,” McKenzie said.

“The SIU is still to come and brief us on how far they are with the investigation, but I’ve also learned from a very good authority that the SIU is investigating that.”

The project site at the Franschhoek High School currently includes unfinished swimming pools and partially completed structures, while the school’s sports grounds have deteriorated significantly.

McKenzie said funding from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) for the development had been halted. “Lotto has stopped the funding,” he confirmed. “I can assure you that I know of the Franschhoek matter.”

The minister said he had already visited the site and would return next week. “I visited the Franschhoek matter, I’m going back there next week so I can put a rugby pitch, so long, at Franschhoek as the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. “It is a mess,” he said.

McKenzie added that discussions were underway with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc), warning that further action would follow. “We are meeting with Sascoc, because the time to take action has arrived. Let the SIU investigation go, let the Lotto investigation go, but we’re also going to take action. It’s no longer a case of are you […], it is a case of when. We are definitely going to take action.”

The Franschhoek development, according to a 2020 statement by Train Camp, was envisioned as a major international training hub in partnership with the Franschhoek High School.

Train Camp is a private sports and lifestyle development company based in Franschhoek, placed under final liquidation in June 2025. It was provisionally liquidated in December 2023.

Plans included transforming the campus into an elite sports destination focused on Olympic sporting codes, while also upgrading educational and sporting facilities for learners and the surrounding community.

Central to the project was a high-performance aquatics centre featuring a heated 50-metre swimming pool built to international standards, alongside the refurbishment of the school’s existing 25-metre pool. The facility was expected to serve both South African and international swimming teams as a training base.

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The project also aimed to improve academic infrastructure at the school without increasing fees for local learners.

SSA secured funding from multiple sources for the development, including approximately R35 million from the NLC, around R8.5 million from World Aquatics and about R6 million from The Sports Trust. The overall project value was expected to exceed R111 million, with additional private-sector backing.