Molokwane comes out guns blazing after World Netball suspension

With just a week to go before NSA’s highly anticipated presidential elections — from which she has been barred — Molokwane came out guns blazing at a fiery press conference in Polokwane on Thursday, accusing senior NSA figures of colluding with WN to destroy her reputation and derail her re-election bid.

“This is nothing more than a calculated plot to keep me out of the elections,” she declared. “I’ve been silent for too long, but silence will not defend the truth. I called this press conference to fight for fairness and transparency. I deliberately waited for the Telkom Netball League and the Under-21 World Cup to end because I didn’t want to harm the sport I love.”

The outspoken administrator, who led South Africa’s successful hosting of the 2023 Netball World Cup, claimed she is the victim of a “smear campaign” allegedly backed by SASCOC, World Netball, and some NSA insiders.

 Molokwane revealed that she first learned of her suspension through an email from WN and has since resigned from her position as a WN director. She is accused of misusing millions of rands in NSA resources, including funds related to the World Cup, and of bullying and intimidating staff members — allegations she vehemently denies.

“The council could have resolved this internally,” she insisted. “I referred the allegations to NSA’s lawyers, who found nothing implicating me. I don’t even have access to funds. On 6 September, I was told I had allegedly misused R19 million and stayed in hotels 157 times — but every trip was approved by the CEO. I live in Polokwane, three hours from Johannesburg. How else was I expected to attend meetings?”

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Molokwane maintained that NSA’s finances were independently audited and approved, adding that her strong leadership style was being twisted into something sinister.

She also took a direct swipe at SASCOC president Barry Hendricks, accusing him of unlawfully striking her name off the list of federation presidents and interfering in NSA matters.

“SASCOC removed me from the list without due process. Does that automatically mean I’m no longer NSA president? I’m innocent until proven guilty. I was on the first list of eligible candidates, but suddenly I was removed. Hendricks even said on national TV that my matter would be finalised in seven weeks — but no one has given me any update.”

Despite the controversy and her exclusion from the upcoming elections, Molokwane vowed to continue fighting to clear her name and expose what she described as “unfair treatment” and “internal sabotage” within the federation.