SAFA elections face regional uncertainty ahead of 12 September leadership vote

South African Football Association (SAFA) chief executive officer Monyepao says outstanding issues surrounding several regional elective congresses have yet to be resolved, with the organisation’s national elections due to take place in Johannesburg on 12 September.

The vote will begin with the election of the president. A total of 52 regions, each represented by three delegates, are expected to participate in the process.

Although most regions have completed their elections, concerns remain in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. Monyepao said SAFA’s membership affairs committee and its chairperson had been reviewing the status of regional and associate-member elective congresses before the national poll.

“We had to, through the membership affairs committee and the chairperson, we had to check the status especially of the elective congresses of the regions and the associate members to ensure that you know all is well on that aspect. There are a number of regions that had issues with their elective congresses. I believe two had elections the past, no three had elections the past weekend,” said Monyepao

Of the three regions that held elections at the weekend, one process was completed successfully. SAFA is still waiting for reports on the other two because problems were reported during those elections.

Monyepao added that three further regions had indicated their elections would be held either towards the end of this week or the following week. The information gathered from the regions has been submitted to SAFA’s governance committee for consideration.

“One of them was successfully held and there’s two that we are awaiting reports on because there were issues with those elections and we do have three other regions that had indicated that their elections were either at the end of this week or next week. So all that information was submitted to the governance committee for that consideration.”

The unresolved regional processes have come under greater scrutiny after revelations made before the Parliamentary Committee of Sport, Arts and Culture this week.

SAFA vice-president Bennet Bailey, who is also a member of the Save Our Soccer (SOS) group supporting AmaZulu owner Sandile Zungu, told the committee about alleged fraudulent vetting forms brought by SAFA National Executive Committee members to the Sarah Baartman regional conference in the Eastern Cape.

Questions have also been raised about the role of SAFA NEC members deployed to oversee regional elections. In particular, there has been uncertainty over whether they act as observers or electoral officers, while concerns have been expressed about the legitimacy of those conducting the processes.

Monyepao said SAFA’s procedures require an independent entity to handle the elections.

He also said all eligible candidates must be informed 14 days before the elections, with that communication expected to take place this weekend.

The national presidential contest includes incumbent Danny Jordaan and Sandile Zungu, who have been declared eligible to stand, according to earlier SAFA election updates.