Mathathe alleges Safa payments were used to secure Jordaan re-election

Former Safa NEC member Jacob ‘Buddha’ Mathathe has accused the organisation of using annual honorariums to influence votes for Danny Jordaan before the 12 September elective congress.

Jordaan was elected for an unprecedented fourth term after defeating Sandile Zungu by 157 votes to 82.

Mathathe claims the payments were made only days before the vote to strengthen support for the incumbent. Each NEC member reportedly received R153,000, with the total cost reaching about R6m.

“It then confirms what we are saying about vote-buying,” Mathathe told IOL Sport.

“All NEC members – 39 of them – were paid. I am sure it’s only one or two that didn’t get it. But all those who got it, voted for him. The honorarium was over and above the benefits that they’ve been getting. It was just to cement their support and make sure that they look at only the incumbent.

“It was meant to say: ‘If you do this, these are the benefits that you are going to get.’”

Jordaan’s familiarity with Safa’s election procedures, including the need to secure backing from the regions, associate members, special members and the PSL, was expected to help his campaign. He had also been organising support for a considerable period before the congress.

However, the process came under scrutiny before voting began after reports that four regions – Harry Gwala, Sarah Baartman, Pixley ka Seme and Amajuba – had been prevented from voting. Associate member Samlfa was also reportedly barred. All were said to have been supporting Zungu.

Cape Town chairperson Bennet Bailey had previously revealed that Safa decided to pay the annual honorariums shortly before the congress, a decision that drew criticism from some stakeholders.

Mathathe, who was still an NEC member at the time, also received the payment. He said he might not have been paid without the intervention of NEC finance chairperson Mxolisi Sibam, a close friend.

“On Thursday, the chairman of the finance committee called me and said: ‘Buddha, I am aware you are not going to come back to the new NEC. But as a friend and legend, it would be an injustice and it would haunt me for the rest of my life if I didn’t tell you (about the honorarium)’,” Mathathe said.

Sibam then asked whether Mathathe had received the money. After Mathathe said he had not heard anything about an honorarium, he was told to contact Safa chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo.

“I called Gronie, and he said: ‘Ah, legend, we forgot … Can you please send a text?’ This was on Thursday. I then got it Saturday morning.”

The timing has also been questioned because Bafana Bafana are still waiting for bonuses linked to their World Cup participation and historic Round of 16 finish. Safa has said tax compliance issues have delayed those payments.

Mathathe rejected that explanation, saying the money used for NEC honorariums should instead have funded the players’ bonuses.

“The tax issue is a self-created story,” he said. “If they were serious about bonuses, the money that was paid for the honorariums should have been used to pay the player bonuses. That’s where it should have started. It’s a smokescreen.”

He added that most NEC members, who also serve as regional chairpersons, had been paid to influence the election. There are usually 39 NEC members, although Mathathe and four suspended members were not part of the new NEC.