By
SABC Sport has established that World Netball has issued an invoice demanding Netball South Africa pay for legal fees for the preliminary investigation conducted on suspended President Cecilia Molokwane.
Molokwane was suspended in April amid a disciplinary process opened against her by World Netball, following anonymous allegations made to the world governing body.
In correspondence seen by the public broadcaster, the invoice reflects the hearing was conducted on Wednesday 6 August 2025, with the outcome expected to be finalised by World Netball around December 2025.
An NSA executive member, who requested anonymity fearing reprisal, has told SABC Sport that it is unfair for the federation to pay for proceedings that do not reflect an internal mandate, but rather stems from an anonymous whistleblower's report.
“The World Netball invoice has placed Netball South Africa in a challenging position. As a non-profit company, we are committed to accountability and financial responsibility, but we must also be clear about who is responsible for this cost,” said the NSA exec.
“The invoice from World Netball was based on their investigations stemming from a whistleblower report and does not stem from an internal decision by NSA.
“This came about from actions and decisions made by individuals, without proper consultation or mandate from the federation, and for this reason, it would be unfair and detrimental to NSA as a whole to shoulder this financial burden.”
World Netball’s voice reflects an amount of £15,452.00 (around R363 000), which NSA have been ordered to pay by 30 September 2025.
The correspondence also indicates that, should the SA netball mother body fail to pay the stipulated amount by the deadline, a call to disband the federation will follow, which means the ongoing executive election process will be indefinitely halted.
The NSA executive in anonymity says this is a massive amount, which can be used to fund critical programmes for the national teams, especially the Baby Proteas scheduled for a final camp before they depart for the Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar.
“If NSA were to pay this invoice, it would directly affect our ability to fund critical programmes, such as player development, grassroots growth, and preparations for our national teams,” the exec added.
“This includes the U-21 squad ahead of the Netball Youth World Cup 2025 and the Senior Spar Proteas test series against New Zealand and Australia.
“These are the priorities that should be protected and honoured, therefore, some of us believe that only those who made the call leading to this investigation should be responsible for covering the costs and not NSA.”
SABC Sport have reached out to World Netball for a detailed brief on the invoice and the regulations leading thereto, with the response from the international netball custodians to be shared as it develops.
