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Cape Town - Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has announced additional cash bonuses for the Team SA medal winners at the Rio Olympic Games.
At the announcement of the South African team to compete in Rio last month, SASCOC confirmed an incentive programme designed to incentivise athletes to medal in Rio.
SASCOC promised to reward all gold medalists at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games with R500 000. Of that, R400 000 would go to the athlete and the remaining R100 000 to the coach.
Silver medal winners earned R200 000 (plus R50 000 for the coach), while those bagging bronze pocketed R80 000 (plus R20 000 for the coach).
However, at the team's arrival at OR Tambo on Tuesday morning, Mbalula confirmed that Wayde van Niekerk would receive an additional R150 000 for his gold medal - and world record - in the 400m.
Caster Semenya, who won the 800m, is in line to receive an extra R100 000.
The six silver medal winners will receive an additional R70 000 each, while the two bronze medal recipients will receive an extra R50 000.
That will bring the total payout by SASCOC for the 10 medals won in Rio to R3.47m.
Mbalula thanked the crowd that had gathering for coming to welcome “this bunch of winners” and said the country was proud of the athletes.
“We don’t like losers‚ our team has done us proud... even those who did not win us medals‚ we saw them fighting for our country and you will become heroes next time... but now Mr Razzmatazz Christmas is here to reward you,” he said.
Breakdown of Team SA medal winners in Rio plus money won:
R400 000 + R150 000 - Wayde van Niekerk (plus R100 000 to the coach)
R400 000 + R100 000 - Caster Semenya (plus R100 000 to the coach)
R200 000 + R70 000 - Chad le Clos (plus R50 000 to the coach)
R200 000 + R70 000 - Chad le Clos (plus R50 000 to the coach)
R200 000 + R70 000 - Cameron van der Burgh (plus R50 000 to the coach)
R200 000 + R70 000 - Luvo Manyonga (plus R50 000 to the coach)
R200 000 + R70 000 - Sunette Viljoen (plus R50 000 to the coach)
R200 000 + R70 000 - Shaun Keeling and Lawrence Brittain (plus R50 000 to the coach)
R80 000 + R50 000 - Henri Schoeman (plus R20 000 to the coach)
R80 000 + R50 000 - Rugby Sevens (plus R20 000 to the coach)
Total: R3.47 million
Money again promised the medallists. Hope to see it within the next year. The begging is set to begin.
— Sunette Viljoen (@Sunette_Viljoen) August 23, 2016
SA's 800m star Caster Semenya receives a R400 000 cheque for winning the gold. Video by @muzahu pic.twitter.com/3YlmeqTKY7
— City Press Online (@City_Press) August 23, 2016
