Mathate questions independence of SAFA election committee

National Executive Committee (NEC) member Buddha Mathate has accused the South African Football Association’s Governance Committee of being compromised and controlled externally ahead of the organisation’s elections.

Mathate, who is also president of the South African Masters and Legends Football Association (SAMLFA), was speaking at a press conference in Soweto on Thursday after the five-member committee ruled that he was ineligible to stand.

He questioned why the Governance Committee had previously indicated that four associate-member candidates were eligible, while the list later released by SAFA contained only two names.

“It does concern us, very, very much, with what is happening and you are 100% correct, there are four associate members who are illegible and my assumption is that we should have been one of those four because we complied with everything that was needed to be nominated,” Mathate said.

“From where I’m seated, the Governance Committee is controlled from somewhere because some of the emails we get in terms of the questions that I’m asking come from the CEO of SAFA and they should be independent as a body that is responsible for elections.

“I failed to understand one of the questions that I asked, the emails I sent to the Governance Committee, I got a response from the SAFA CEO, that’s one. Maybe to answer your question directly, I feel they are being controlled from somewhere and they are compromised.”

Mathate said he had been nominated by SAMLFA, an associate member of SAFA, as well as by three regions. He added that the nomination procedure did not clearly address the position of associate members.

The SAFA constitution states that communication between nominated candidates and the Governance Committee should take place through the office of the chief executive.

However, Mathate said the NEC had agreed that the committee should operate independently while overseeing both the nomination process and the elections.

“As members and very importantly as an NEC I have the latitude or the right as a member to raise my concerns which I did with the governance committee and I copied the SAFA CEO because I got that email from her,” he explained.

“Just to make sure that she also understands my concern around the issue of the independence of the Governance Committee being compromised because what we know and agreed on as theNECwas that we will have an independent body that will run the process of nominations and elections.

“The entire process from nominations and the elections should be run by an independent body that was the agreement and resolution we took asNECmembers and from where I’m sitting now, I don’t think they are independent. They are compromised.”

The dispute comes as SAFA prepares for a presidential contest in which Sandile Zungu, the owner of AmaZulu, is seeking to unseat incumbent Danny Jordaan.

Jordaan is standing for a fourth term as SAFA president.

Mathate and SAMLFA have publicly declared their full support for Zungu’s candidacy.