Jordaan and Zungu cleared for Safa presidential election battle

AmaZulu chairman Sandile Zungu is set to challenge incumbent Danny Jordaan for the presidency of the South African Football Association (Safa) at the organisation’s elective congress on 12 September.

Safa’s Governance Committee (GC) has completed its vetting process and confirmed that both presidential nominees meet the requirements to stand for election, including rules relating to criminal convictions.

The GC, chaired by Victor Mogajane, announced the outcome at a news conference at Safa House on Friday. It received the nominees’ files on 5 August, after the nomination period opened on 13 June and closed on 29 July.

Although the committee confirmed that two presidential candidates had been cleared, it was not authorised to identify them publicly at the briefing. Safa procedure requires the results to be reported first to voting members through the association’s chief executive officer, Lydia Monyepao, who attended the news conference.

Monyepao is expected to report the findings to members by no later than Saturday night. That timetable is designed to preserve the required 14-day period between notification of members and the elective congress. The names of the approved candidates are therefore expected to be formally announced soon afterwards.

Jordaan, who is the current Safa president, is regarded as the early favourite. He recently said he wanted to pursue a fourth term, pointing out that the Safa statutes do not impose a limit on the number of terms a president may serve.

He will face opposition from Zungu, the AmaZulu president and businessman, who has launched his campaign with the support of several influential figures in South African football. Safa vice-president Bennet Bailey is among those backing his bid.

GC deputy chairperson Tumi Dlamini said the committee’s responsibility was to report its work to the association’s members before the election.

“Our responsibility as we sit here this morning is to ensure that you are advised of the work that we’ve undertaken, and the results that Safa must still present back to the members,” said Dlamini.

“Suffice to say, we received two nominations for the presidential candidates, and both were vetted, verified, and deemed eligible to stand for elections on September 12.”

The committee also assessed candidates for other positions. It cleared 25 of the 30 nominees for the National Executive Committee, 22 of the 27 nominees for the Provincial Executive Committee and four of the nine nominees for member associations.

Candidates nominated by a region, NEC member or member association were required to formally accept their nominations and submit supporting documents. They also had to pass background checks and satisfy other eligibility conditions.

GC member Abel Ramolotja said criminal records had been examined because Safa’s statutes prevent candidates from standing if they have been convicted or sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine during the previous 10 years.

“We also checked criminal records, because the statutes dictate that candidates must not have been convicted or sentenced to more than 12 months of imprisonment without the option of a fine in the last 10 years,” explained Ramolotja.

Jordaan has appeared in court several times in recent months in connection with fraud charges, but he has not been convicted or sentenced. His nomination can therefore proceed. The 14-day period before the congress will nevertheless allow candidates and other parties to appeal or raise further concerns about the vetting process.

Dlamini said the committee had carried out extensive checks, with support from the South African Police Service (SAPS), while acknowledging that its findings could still be challenged.

“We have done as much verification and work as we could,” Dlamini added. “SAPS has been very supportive regarding double verification of criminal records.

“However, we cannot claim that our work is entirely beyond challenge. That is why the 14-day window exists – it gives anyone who was included or excluded the opportunity to challenge our verification process through Safa. We will review any appeals. Similarly, we reserve the right to retract a decision if new evidence shows a candidate does not meet the requirements.”

The rescheduled congress is taking place while Safa faces sustained scrutiny over several unresolved issues, including delays in introducing VAR, coaching appointments involving national teams and outstanding administrative matters linked to the World Cup.

With just over two weeks remaining before the vote, the successful candidate will inherit an association under significant pressure and will be expected to address those problems immediately.