Sex offender Free State athletics president suspended by national body

Controversial Athletics Free State (AFS) president Steven Swarts has been suspended pending a disciplinary inquiry, Athletics SA (ASA) said on Saturday.

Swarts, the stepfather and coach of world 400m world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk, was found guilty of sexual assault in 2020 and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, suspended for five years.

In 2018 Swarts had inserted fingers into the victim, a female athlete he was coaching at the time, while giving her a massage. 

But despite the conviction he was elected as president of the provincial body in late 2023 and when some club officials called for a vote of no confidence in him they were suspended by the AFS board.

Swarts’s wife Odessa, Van Niekerk’s mother, is part of the board.

“The ASA board unanimously resolved at its meeting on Thursday to suspend ... Swarts ... with immediate effect, pending the convening of a disciplinary inquiry into his conduct that has brought ASA into disrepute,” the national federation said in a statement on Saturday morning.

ASA said the AFS membership “appeared to have been misled about the gravity of the offence and its outcome”.

Sources said in the build-up to the election Swarts had denied being convicted, suggesting he was the victim of an extortion attempt.

“When members registered a vote of no confidence against Swarts in line with the ASA constitution, they were suspended, presumably to stifle their efforts to hold him accountable in terms of the AFS constitution.”

ASA said its board conferred with the AFS executive in late February. “There were factions that were still supporting Swarts while others vehemently opposed him holding office.”

ASA said Swarts was informed of the disciplinary action on Saturday morning.

“Swarts has been relieved of all his duties and functions in the sport of athletics pending the conclusion of a disciplinary inquiry to be conducted by ASA’s disciplinary committee.

“The vice-president of AFS, Leonard Jingose, will act as president of AFS pending the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings against Swarts or until elections are held to elect a new president.”

ASA said the perception it had been slow to act against Swarts was the result of the board following required processes.

“While the delay in dealing decisively with the matter is regrettable, ASA was constrained to embark on a consultative process with the various factions among the membership of AFS before taking a decision on how best to deal with the matter.”