Parents still seeking accountability from Chess SA over Zimbabwe tournament chaos

Nearly three months after South African junior chess players were left scrambling for beds at the African Youth Chess Championship (AYCC) in Zimbabwe, the fallout is still unfolding.

Parents are demanding accountability and transparency from Chess South Africa (Chess SA) and promised refunds have yet to materialise, all while the federation prepared for executive committee elections, which were held on 21 February.

At the same time, president of the Zimbabwe Chess Federation (ZCF) Todd Mapingire has disputed elements of Chess SA’s version of events, further complicating an already contentious situation.

The tournament, held in Harare from 6 to 14 December 2025, briefly descended into chaos after accommodation for the South African team had not been paid in time. That left children and parents searching for last-minute lodgings, with some forced to sleep on couches and floors or move between hotels on the eve of the competition.

Calls for transparency

On 12 December, Andre Lewaks, president of Chess SA, touched down in Harare and met the parents.

Lewaks requested that parents submit their concerns and supporting material in writing so that the issues could be considered and addressed.

So Pieter Krüger, one of the parents whose child took part in the tournament, on behalf of all the parents, crafted and sent a formal parent submission on 7 January, outlining concerns about what had occurred at the AYCC as well as general concerns within Chess SA that parents felt should be addressed.

Krüger also attached structured feedback reports from parents highlighting their dissent.

The raised issues ranged from a lack of transparency and communication, to governance structures and requests for independent inquiries and investigations.

In the formal submission Krüger appealed to Lewaks to respond by 31 January, “to allow for constructive progress”.

On 15 January, Krüger forwarded the formal submission to the Chess SA Executive Board to loop them into the matters raised.

As previously reported, a major concern leading up to and during the tournament was a lack of communication on the part of the team manager as well as the vice-president, Vicky Magu.

In the email sent to Lewaks, Krüger says there were “prolonged periods of confusion, contradictory instructions, and no single authoritative source of truth during a rapidly escalating crisis”.

The submission asked Lewaks what accountability processes would be implemented to prevent a situation like this in future.

Magu previously denied issues of poor communication, saying he did respond to messages and when he was without information, he claims to have informed the parents of this as well.

Lewaks, in email correspondence with Daily Maverick, confirmed Chess SA received and considered parents’ correspondence, saying the concerns form part of ongoing governance processes following the election of a new executive board on 21 February.

The new leadership was “committed to addressing the concerns responsibly and through appropriate governance channels”, the federation said.

According to Lewaks, Chess SA conducted an internal review and engaged with both the ZCF and the African Chess Confederation (ACC) to “to clarify the circumstances surrounding accommodation arrangements”, but no external person had been appointed at the time of writing.

Since December, Chess SA has strengthened its travel governance framework, Lewaks claims.

Measures that will be implemented include verifying payments and confirming accommodation before tournament departures, setting up a “ring-fenced” travel account for “clearer financial oversight”, structured tour management documentation and enhanced “executive oversight of international delegations”.

“We acknowledge that parents expected consistent and timely communication,” said Lewaks. “The newly elected executive board is committed to strengthening communication protocols, clarifying delegation responsibilities and ensuring improved engagement with parents in future international events.”

Sascoc roped in

Furthermore, on 12 December 2025 Magu informed Daily Maverick that he was “submitting a report to Sascoc (South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee) exactly of what transpired, and we’re answerable to them, and we will submit that report”.

The email from Krüger claims that in the meeting in Harare, Lewaks made a commitment that parents would be given oversight of the report drafted by Magu before its submission to Sascoc.

“This opportunity was never provided,” the email to Lewaks said. It asks whether a report was sent to Sascoc and Daily Maverick also asked Lewaks: if it was sent, were parents afforded the preview they requested?

“At the time, the intention was to ensure transparency and to keep parents appropriately informed,” said Lewaks in an email response to Daily Maverick questions.

“However, reporting to external bodies such as Sascoc must be handled in accordance with the Chess South Africa Constitution, which vests reporting responsibilities within its recognised internal structures.

“The report was therefore submitted through the prescribed governance channels.”

Daily Maverick tried to contact Sascoc a number of times. Sascoc acknowledged receipt of our questions, but no response had been received by the time of publishing.

Refunds payable

Two days after the formal submission was sent, “Affected Parents” received a signed letter from Lewaks dated 9 January with an update on AYCC accommodation refunds.

The letter states that “representatives of Chess South Africa (Chess SA) have met with both the President of the Zimbabwe Chess Federation (ZCF) and the President of the African Chess Confederation (ACC)” to address accommodation refunds after parents paid for lodging in Zimbabwe that “was not received”.

It explains each affected parent would be consulted individually to determine the correct refund amount, after which “the necessary refunds will be processed”, with an estimated completion timeframe of “fourteen (14) days”.

Refunds were not paid within the stipulated two weeks.

Chess SA, the ZCF and the ACC were in discussions relating to the AYCC in an attempt to rectify any outstanding anomalies, according to Mapingire and Lewaks.

Following those discussions, on 5 February, parents received a notice via WhatsApp inviting “affected parents who have submitted a refund claim” to an online meeting to “provide clarity on the refund process, discuss the next steps and timelines and gather any outstanding or additional information required from parents”.

However, according to Krüger, the meeting instead functioned as a restricted, case-by-case claims verification, leaving parents who paid for undelivered accommodation without clear eligibility criteria or timelines.

Lewaks confirmed to Daily Maverick that Chess SA is working to verify parents’ claims, with supporting documentation requested. The federation said efforts are ongoing to reach a fair resolution.

ZCF disputes claims

Before the AYCC a long list of payments were required from each federation, such as registration and tournament fees, as well as for accommodation. The payment deadline was 15 November 2025.

Chess SA said it requested a payment extension, which was granted to 25 November.

Yet, payment was still delayed to 5 December. The reason for this, according to Chess SA, was because the ZCF had not issued an invoice, without which Chess SA could not make the payment.

Mapingire refuted these claims.

He told Daily Maverick firmly that they had not granted Chess SA an extension and had in fact issued an invoice to Chess SA dated 11 November 2025. Daily Maverick has seen the invoice.

Before the tournament the ZCF issued an invitational brochure to every federation which, according to Krüger, he and the parents had received.

On page eight of the brochure, it states: “All payments related to board and lodging must be settled by the 15th of November 2025, deadline date.”

When discussing the matter of an extension, Mapingire referred to this section and said: “We are sticking to the brochure ourselves. The brochure said the 15th and we never deviated for anyone.”

Stranded parents

As part of the letter submitted to Sascoc, Magu claims to have sent a list to Mapingire in which he requested the ZCF to reserve 40 to 50 rooms at the Cresta Lodge Hotel.

As seen in the brochure, there was more than one official accommodation property offered, including Cresta Lodge, Cresta Jameson and Cresta Oasis.

About 25 people could be accommodated at Cresta Lodge, according to Magu and Mapingire. The reason that the whole South African delegation could not be accommodated in only one place, Mapingire said, is that Chess SA did not pay on time.

Again, Mapingire referred Daily Maverick to the brochure, which states: “If payments are not received before the mentioned deadline, players will not be allowed to participate in the tournament. Hotel accommodation preferences will be assigned on a first come basis, based on the order of payments credited to the Zimbabwe Chess Federation account.”

Mapingire claims that in an effort to accommodate Chess SA on the day of arrival, some parents were offered accommodation at Cresta Jameson.

“[But] those that were supposed to go to Jameson did not want to go to Jameson,” claimed Mapingire when asked why parents were found sleeping on couches and floors.

Before the tournament took place, parents were given a choice of where to stay, according to Krüger. “Most opted for Cresta Lodge, as the tournament was originally intended to be hosted there,” he said.

“Accommodation at Cresta Jameson was offered on our first night, but only very late on the Saturday evening, after we had already spent the entire day at Cresta,” said Krüger.

“I cannot recall the exact time, but it was likely after 8pm. There were concerns about safety and the practicality of moving that late at night. Some parents did choose to go, as there were few alternatives, but there was not enough space at Jameson to accommodate everyone in any case. And transport was also not readily available.”

Objections to elections

In the formal submission Krüger also raised the matter of disciplinary action against Magu who oversees the youth section of Chess SA.

At the meeting in Harare parents called for the suspension of Magu on the grounds of gross negligence. Lewaks claimed he cannot do this on a whim, but has to consult the board.

As far as Krüger understands, there have been no consequences for Magu.

Asked by Daily Maverick if any action had been taken against Magu, Lewaks said: “This question relates to internal governance matters beyond the scope of the African Youth Chess Championships event itself. As a matter of principle, Chess South Africa does not address individual governance matters through the media. Such matters are handled internally in accordance with the federation’s constitution and established processes.”

However, Magu was not nominated for any positions, including his current position of vice-president, at this past weekend’s executive committee elections.

Shaun Levitan, the president of Johannesburg Metro Chess, replaced Magu.

Lewaks was re-elected president.

Matters of governance were further raised in the submission and Krüger sent an email to Sascoc, formally objecting to the nomination process for the elections, arguing that the elections could be illegitimate due to governance failures and flaws in the nomination process.

The two sitting vice-presidents allegedly remained as provincial presidents despite signing undertakings in 2023 that they would resign from those positions if elected nationally.

Krüger believes this creates a conflict of interest because it sets a precedent allowing dual roles and self-policing, which could undermine trust in the election.

The 2026 nomination forms allegedly removed the explicit requirement to resign provincial positions, replacing it with a self-declaration. This could allow candidates to hold both provincial and national power simultaneously. DM