Mbalula pays Viljoen, has one final dig

Cape Town - Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula may have finally made good on paying the promised bonus to SA Rio Olympic silver medalist Sunette Viljoen, but couldn't resist taking yet another dig at her.

Viljoen took to Twitter on Saturday to confirm she'd received the payment - some 11 weeks after it was promised.

Received the R70k this morning. It pays to be a fighter. I really never asked for anything other than a promise to be kept. #paidthemoney, Viljoen wrote.

The payment came after an extraordinary social media war-of-words between the pair.

Mbalula had promised all SA medal winners a monetary "bonus" upon their return to the country on August 23.

Gold medal winners were to receive an additional R100 000, silver medalists R70 000 and bronze medal winners, R50 000.

However, hours after the confirmation, Mbalula took to his Twitter account to respond to Viljoen in a series of tweets.

Mbalula made mention of the fact that Viljoen won't be attending this year's SA Sports Awards on November 27.

Viljoen wasn't nominated, with the shortlist for Sport Star of the Year narrowed down to Wayde van Niekerk, Caster Semenya and Kagiso Rabada, while Jenna Ward, Semenya and Phumza Maweni will battle it out for the Sportswoman of the Year award.

@Sunette_Viljoen has been invited for the Sport Awards -replied, she isn't coming because she isn't nominated.Many athletes aren't but come.

— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) November 12, 2016

Next thing she will come here on Twitter and claim she she as not invited when she was - and refused to come because "I'm not nominated" https://t.co/aCfWK6MM4Z

— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) November 12, 2016

You must choose if you want to be both an athlete and a politician. Then you can wield your privilege however you want. https://t.co/fd48YAue9e

— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) November 12, 2016

Arrogance comes in different forms - the idea that you have to be given special treatment and process must be ignored because you demand so.

— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) November 12, 2016

Unfortunately, gov is not M-pesa, you don't just Press SEND.There are process -you demanded money same day of the promised - ignored process https://t.co/fd48YAue9e

— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) November 12, 2016

You didn't have to fight - you had to wait for the process to unfollow. Your impatience wanted us to bypass them for your expedience. https://t.co/fd48YAue9e

— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) November 12, 2016