Humorous Anecdotes, Observations & Accounts of Marathon Running & Agile Adventures.
This is a guest blog on the safeguarding failures from ASA (relating to the Steven Swarts and his rape conviction) by Norman Brook MBE.
Before turning to how the Steven Swarts matter exposes serious weaknesses in Athletics South Africa’s safeguarding framework—and raises uncomfortable questions about ASA’s willingness or capacity to confront those weaknesses—it is necessary to set out the facts clearly.
Kagiso Moletsane is the general manager of Athletics Free State. It is alleged that he was appointed into this position irregularly by Steven Swarts. Steven Swarts is a convicted rapist. It is alleged that Moletsane has returned the favour by protecting his rapist friend from sanctions and providing him with coaching opportunities in the province. It doesn’t get much sicker and more sordid than this.
Oh, and Moletsane also cheated to get to the start line of this year’s Two Oceans ultra marathon.
Continue reading “Athletics Free State General Manager bust cheating at Two Oceans (A rapist’s best friend)”
Steven Swarts was convicted of raping one of his female athletes while giving her a “deep tissue massage”. The incident occurred in 2018 and the female athlete was 21 at the time.
At his trial Swarts pled guilty to rape and sexual assault. He signed his conviction papers on 5 March 2020 but was able to escape jail time with the Bloemfontein Court sentencing him, “In terms of section 276 (1) (b) of act 51 of 1977 as amended, the accused is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, which imprisonment is suspended for a period of 5 years on condition that the accused is not during the time of suspension convicted of contravention of section 3 of the Criminal Law Amendment act 32 of 2007 (sexual offences and related matters).”
Continue reading “Get your coaching accreditation from a convicted rapist (brought to you by Athletics Free State)”
In July 2024, a group of Free State athletes became aware that Steven Swarts, the President of Athletics Free State (AFS), had recently been convicted of raping a young track and field athlete and was also on the National Register of Sex Offenders. The group of nine athletes, representing their running clubs, filed a motion of no confidence in Swarts’ leadership to AFS and sent a letter of concern to Athletics South Africa (ASA). The AFS9 were summarily suspended by AFS for ‘bringing the organisation into disrepute’ and were completely ignored by ASA.
On 31 January, the AFS9 sent a lawyer’s letter to ASA, upon which they finally acted. A delegation consisting of all the senior ASA officials travelled to Bloemfontein for a meeting with Swarts and the AFS Board on Friday February 21 and then addressed all AFS running clubs the following day. ASA failed to meet directly and engage with the AFS9 to hear their side of the story and instead waited until a meeting with all AFS clubs the following day where they interrogated the AFS9 in an open forum and blamed them for raising issues and “having sour grapes”. At no stage did ASA address the main issue at hand – that a convicted rapist is holding the AFS presidency and is still in close contact with vulnerable young athletes.
Put into even simpler terms, a convicted rapist of a young athlete is being protected by the AFS and ASA Boards to remain in his position and those that have tried to get justice are being victimised.
Swarts is a prominent figure in athletics as he is the stepfather and current coach of Olympic Gold Medallist and 400m World Record holder Wayde van Niekerk. Swarts’ wife also sits on the AFS Board as Track and Field Chairperson.
