Mkhize says SAFA eThekwini has transformed after decade of division

SAFA eThekwini President Mazwi Mkhize says the region has rebuilt itself after 10 years of internal conflict and is now one of the country’s few financially self-sustaining SAFA regions.

The eThekwini region was placed under administration from 2009 to 2019 because of a leadership dispute between two factions. One was led by Mkhize, while the other was headed by Alpha Mchunu.

Mkhize acknowledges that he was part of the dispute, but says he also became involved in resolving it. Since returning to leadership in 2021, he believes SAFA eThekwini has moved quickly enough to make up for the time lost during the division.

“We told ourselves, you know in history, we had the 10-year war, 10 wasted years here in Durban fighting. I was part of that problem. But also, I’m a part of the solution at that particular time,” said Mkhize.

“We told ourselves when we came back in 2021, guys, we wasted a lot of time, let us try and move fast so that those who had never had the problem, we have to catch up with them. So it’s in the grip, we overdid it. We overdid it because we moved miles ahead, even ahead of those regions that had never had a problem of disturbances.”

Unlike many SAFA regions, which say grants from the national office are insufficient to operate their programmes, SAFA eThekwini says it is not reliant on that funding.

The region is responsible for 22 Local Football Associations (LFAs) and has developed a broad sponsorship base. Some of its sponsors contribute more than a million rand to its finances, helping the organisation support its activities without the funding difficulties experienced elsewhere.

SAFA eThekwini’s programmes include two school football tournaments being run in partnership with the government. The finals of the Under-19 schools competition took place last week, with Vuyiswa Mtolo High School from KwaMashu winning the tournament.

Mkhize said the region has also received strong backing from the eThekwini Metro. That support includes access to offices and other facilities without the organisation having to pay rent.

The progress comes as Mkhize takes on a wider national role. He was recently elected to the SAFA National Executive Committee (NEC) during the organisation’s latest national elections.

He says the region’s current position is a significant change from the period when leadership disagreements halted its progress. SAFA eThekwini is now operating as a modern football region, with its own funding base and facilities, after overcoming the divisions that resulted in a decade under administration.