WHIRLPOOL: Swimming icon Tatjana Smith issues demand to Swimming SA over prize money dispute

{JSON.stringify(article.attachments[0], null, 2)} --> Olympic champion Tatjana Smith has issued Swimming South Africa with a letter of demand seeking payment of interest allegedly retained after competition prize money was held for more than a year.

Following the provisional suspension of both Swimming South Africa’s (SSA’s) president and chief executive officer earlier this week, the beleaguered federation has once again found itself in hot water.

It is facing added scrutiny after two-time Olympic champion Tatjana Smith accused it of withholding prize money and retaining the interest when she did eventually receive the money more than a year later.

In a letter of demand dated 25 August sent by Hurter Spies Attorneys on behalf of the Smith and her husband Joel, they allege that SSA retained the interest that accrued on $35,000 (R560,000 at the current exchange rate and R650,000 at the time) in prize money earned at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.

Mafata Modutoane, SSA’s operations manager, allegedly kept the interest as a “management fee” after prize money was “unlawfully held by SSA for more than a year”, the lawyer’s letter alleges.

Smith and her husband approached Wian Spies, attorney and director of Hurter Spies Attorneys, in July 2026 to issue a final letter of demand. According to the letter, Smith has still not received the outstanding interest.

Spies told Daily Maverick that the dispute is less about money than the principle involved, especially considering the culture of mismanagement rooted in the federation, particularly by its most senior officials.

“It’s more of a principle thing. Tatjana and Joel feel that athletes cannot be deprived of receiving their prize money years later, years after they’ve won the medals,” Spies told Daily Maverick.

“At least if they pay it late, they should at least then pay some form of interest as well.”

The letter calls for payment of the outstanding interest, calculated from the date prize money was received from the competition until the date it was actually paid to Smith. It also requested proof of where the funds were held during that period.

Should SSA fail to comply within 10 days of the sending of the demand, the matter would be escalated, the letter states.

“It’s very early at this stage because there’s still time in terms of that letter of demand and we haven’t really received a response yet,” said Spies.

Modutoane has declined to comment on the allegations, saying only that he had received the letter and his lawyers were giving it “the necessary attention”.

“I received that letter. I’ve got my legal team looking at it, so I cannot comment further after we’ve responded to them [Smith’s attorneys],” Modutoane said.