Whither SAFA?

TURBULENCE:  VAR funding row, Mosimane salary storm, unreconciled World Cup expenses and Jordaan’s fraud case and possible re-election for a fourth term engulf football body ahead of decisive election

By WSAM Reporter

Where to now for the South African Football Association?

That question has become increasingly urgent after an extraordinary week in which SAFA lurched from one controversy to another while preparing for an elective congress that could return Danny Jordaan to its presidency for a fourth term.

Jordaan and AmaZulu owner Sandile Zungu have been declared eligible to contest the election on September 12, setting up a defining battle over the future of South African football’s controlling body.

But the election is unfolding against a backdrop of institutional turbulence rather than a sober contest of ideas. Within days, SAFA has been forced to defend its handling of government funding for Video Assistant Referee technology, its negotiations with new Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane and expenditure from the national team’s World Cup campaign.

Jordaan, meanwhile, appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court alongside his co-accused as their fraud, theft and conspiracy case was postponed to November 27.

The accumulation of controversies has transformed the election into more than a choice between two administrators. It has become a referendum on SAFA’s governance culture and whether an organisation repeatedly engulfed by disputes can renew itself under the same leadership.

Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie intensified the crisis by demanding that SAFA return R13 million provided for the VAR project after the technology was not introduced within the promised period.

“I wrote a letter to SAFA and said they must return the money,” McKenzie said, adding that the association had requested 21 days’ grace.

SAFA subsequently said the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture had transferred R20 million in April to support VAR implementation. According to the association, the full allocation remains untouched in a separate account, together with accrued interest.

It said three preferred technology providers had been identified, but no contracts had been signed because its finance committee and a dedicated task team still had to review the budget, cost assumptions and procurement requirements.

Those explanations may account for the delay, but they do not resolve the larger issue: how a flagship project publicly promised for the current season could remain stalled months after the money became available.

The longer VAR is delayed, the more it reinforces the perception of an association unable to convert announcements into delivery. McKenzie’s demand for repayment has also exposed an apparent breakdown in confidence between SAFA and the government department responsible for supporting sport.

The minister opened another front when he attacked SAFA’s handling of negotiations with Mosimane, who initially rejected an offer reported to be about R5 million a year before accepting an improved package of approximately R10 million.

McKenzie argued that Mosimane should have been offered the same remuneration as his predecessor, Hugo Broos, whose package was substantially higher. He described the apparent undervaluing of one of Africa’s most successful coaches as evidence of an “apartheid legacy” that continued to shape the association’s thinking.

Whatever the contractual details, the public bargaining created an avoidable spectacle around an appointment that should have signalled continuity and ambition after Bafana Bafana’s historic World Cup campaign.

Instead of celebrating the arrival of a decorated South African coach, SAFA found itself answering questions about why it appeared willing to pay Mosimane less than the foreign coach he replaced.

Then came the disclosure in Parliament that former Bafana team manager Vincent Tseka had not completed the reconciliation of expenditure from R700,000 allocated for daily sundries during the World Cup.

SAFA chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo told Parliament’s portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture that Tseka disputed the association’s calculations and had been given until the end of August to locate outstanding receipts and invoices.

There has been no finding that Tseka stole or misappropriated the money. The R700 000 refers to the original allocation, not necessarily the amount that remains unsupported. Nevertheless, the failure to reconcile national-team expenditure promptly after the tournament supplied another example of weak financial controls.

One MP accused SAFA officials of protecting one another and called for a forensic investigation. SAFA said it would pursue available recovery measures if expenditure remained unsupported after the deadline.

Hovering over these disputes is Jordaan’s criminal case.

The State alleges that he unlawfully signed and backdated a service-level agreement with Grit Communications and procured communications and security services for his personal benefit using SAFA resources. Jordaan and his co-accused face charges including fraud involving more than R1 million, theft and conspiracy to commit fraud and theft.

They are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The case was postponed to allow the High Court to determine a review application arising from the dismissal of an application concerning delays in the proceedings. The National Prosecuting Authority says it remains ready to proceed.

The distinction between allegation and guilt is fundamental. Yet the political and governance question remains unavoidable: should the president of a national sporting body seek another term while facing criminal charges concerning his alleged use of that organisation’s money?

Jordaan was first elected SAFA president in 2013 and secured further terms in 2018 and 2022. Victory in September would therefore give him a fourth term and potentially extend his presidency to 2030.

His supporters can point to Bafana’s improved performances, World Cup qualification and his considerable international football experience.

For Zungu, the challenge would consequently be to offer more than an anti-Jordaan campaign. He would be expected to explain how he would reform SAFA’s finances, professionalise its administration, strengthen grassroots structures and repair relationships with the government, sponsors, professional league and football public.

The delegates from SAFA’s 52 regions, associate members and the Premier Soccer League carry a responsibility extending far beyond factional loyalties. They will be deciding whether continuity offers stability or merely perpetuates an organisation in which crisis has become routine.

South African football cannot afford another election that changes names on a ballot while leaving its governance culture untouched.

SAFA’S WEEK OF TURMOIL

•     McKenzie demands the return of R13 million earmarked for VAR.

•     SAFA says the full R20 million allocation remains secure.

•     Mosimane appointment overshadowed by a salary dispute.

•     R700,000 in Bafana World Cup expenditure awaits full reconciliation.

•                Jordaan appears in court before being approved to contest another election.