Malatsi urges wider access to live sport

South Africa’s sporting industry needs to reach more spectators if it is to grow, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi has said, warning that unequal access to connectivity risks excluding poorer and rural communities.

Addressing the Sport Business Forum on 15 October, Malatsi said attending matches and watching them on screens should be within reach of as many South Africans as possible. He identified affordable, reliable internet access and expanded digital infrastructure as essential to connecting supporters with teams and athletes.

Streaming, social media and digital advertising were opening commercial opportunities, he said. However, smaller clubs and amateur teams often lacked the resources to maintain an online presence or produce regular content.

Malatsi welcomed the expansion of school sport coverage but cautioned that its benefits could deepen the divide between affluent urban schools and those in townships and rural areas.

He urged sporting organisations to use commercial partnerships to support innovation alongside financial sponsorship.

The minister also said he would engage the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa about consumer safeguards relating to online gambling and the extent of operators’ compliance.

His remarks outlined a broader ambition to make the digital economy more inclusive, with improved connectivity supporting sporting participation, audiences and investment.

Source: Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, Sport Business Forum speech, 15 October 2026.