Swimming South Africa accused of bullying following alleged threatening messages by operations manager

Swimming South Africa (SSA) has been accused of “emotional blackmail” and bullying following alleged threats to a swimming coach from Gqeberha.

Quinton Uren, group managing director of Jendamark Automation, sent an email to SSA lodging an official complaint and requesting an apology from the governing body of the sport for “completely unacceptable” remarks by its operations manager.

Jendamark Automation sponsors several water polo and swimming initiatives in the Nelson Mandela Bay area, such as Learn to Polo — which introduces underprivileged children to water polo and swimming — as well as the newly launched water polo Winter Series, in conjunction with South Africa Water Polo.

Read more: Talent pool — water polo’s grassroots revival kicks off in Nelson Mandela Bay

Mafata Modutoane — the operations manager at SSA — allegedly sent a WhatsApp message to a coach at Infinity Swimming Academy warning of possible disciplinary action against another swimming coach for associating with Jendamark and its members.

Modutoane stated they were not a part of SSA.

“That man his [sic] not a member of SSA, and their water polo affiliation [as] such,” the message from Modutoane read, of which Daily Maverick has seen a screenshot copy.

“That man” Modutoane is referring to is Siegfried Lokotsch, the operations director at Jendamark and a member of South Africa Water Polo, whom SSA recently failed to take down in a court battle.

Read more: SA Water Polo has the right to exist, judge rules in a blow to Swimming SA’s interdict bid

This all stems from an article published in Daily Maverick — celebrating the launch of the Winter Series and a swimming development initiative — earlier this month in which in the lead picture, the coach, Deshaan Pillay, and Lokotsch pose for a picture alongside aspiring water polo athletes.

“My friend, you need to have a chat with your coach to be aware of being used. This might bring him up for disciplinary action upon himself,” the first part of Modutoane alleged WhatsApp message read.

Pillay is an employee at Jendamark Automation as well as a swimming coach. Jendamark financially supports various swimming and water polo initiatives through the Nelson Mandela Bay Schools Water Polo programme.

But SSA and Modutoane’s vexation is seemingly with Lokotsch, who is the chairperson of Nelson Mandela Bay Water Polo, and who, while recognising SSA, is not associated with them. Instead, their association lies with South Africa Water Polo.

‘Unprofessional’

Jendamark managing director Uren called the message by Modutoane “both unprofessional and completely unacceptable”, in an email to SSA on 24 June 2025.

“Let me be absolutely clear: this coach is employed by Jendamark. He is not under the jurisdiction of Swim [sic] South Africa,” the email read.

“The development work he is doing aligns fully with our values as a company and our commitment to meaningful transformation.

“Mafata Modutoane’s actions in this instance — threatening an employee of a private company via indirect channels — amount to emotional blackmail and are, quite frankly, tantamount to bullying.”

Jendamark Automation go on to outline their work in supporting grassroots sport, which includes being the title sponsor of Jendamark United Cricket Club, one of the most popular cricket clubs in the Eastern Cape.

“It is disgraceful that a representative of Swim [sic] South Africa would try to intimidate one of our employees for participating in a development programme that is making a measurable difference,” Uren stated.

He formally requested the following from SSA:

• A formal apology from Swim [sic] South Africa for this incident.
• Immediate clarification of SSA’s position on external development partnerships and employee rights.
• A formal internal investigation into Mafata Modutoane’s conduct and use of threatening communications in this matter.

SSA’s response

SSA’s response to the accusation was, unsurprisingly, denial.

“Swimming South Africa wishes to unequivocally distance itself from the recent allegations concerning interactions with the individual in question,” Modutoane said to Daily Maverick in an email.

“We would like to clarify that none of our staff members have had any form of contact with this person, nor have there been any threats of disciplinary action made against him.

“We take any allegations seriously and are committed to transparency and integrity in all our operations. It is vital to note that these claims do not reflect the values of Swimming South Africa or the conduct we uphold within our organisation.

“We encourage open dialogue and are committed to ensuring a respectful and supportive environment for all involved in the sport. Should any further information come to light, we are prepared to address it promptly and appropriately to uphold our commitment to the integrity of our organisation and the sport of swimming,” read the message that sounded eerily like it was written by AI.

Ongoing battle

After SSA’s court loss to South Africa Water Polo earlier this month, it issued a statement acknowledging its disappointment in the outcome, but also reaffirming its position as the sole governing body of water polo in the country.

“[South Africa Water Polo] is not affiliated to Swimming South Africa, nor is it authorised to organise competitions under our name,” its statement read.

The inaugural edition water polo Winter Series, set to commence from 8 to 11 August 8 at the Newton Park Swimming Pool, is also not affiliated with SSA, but South Africa Water Polo instead.

Uren, who interpreted Modutoane’s message as a threat, stated that his company would not tread lightly over what he called “red tape”.

“Jendamark will not tolerate this kind of behaviour, and we will not be intimidated,” he said.

“We will continue to support transformative sport and education programmes — whether or not we have the approval of outdated governing bodies — because we believe in real, on-the-ground impact, not red tape.” DM