SAFA suspends four NEC members over indiscipline conduct

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has suspended four National Executive Committee (NEC) members following violent clashes at last weekend’s meeting.

Gladwin White and Emma Hendricks from the Northern Cape, along with Monde Montshiwa and Orapeleng Setlhare from North West, were suspended by the SAFA Emergency Committee during a Friday night session. The suspensions are pending formal charges.

The four members, all affiliated with the Save Our SAFA (SOS) faction, are accused of disrupting the NEC meeting, which erupted into pushing, shoving, and punches amid heated exchanges between SOS and the Football Transformation Forum (FTF).

The confrontation centered on a motion to suspend several NEC members, proposed by FTF national convenor Tankiso Modipa, whose faction supports current SAFA president Danny Jordaan’s bid for a fourth term. SOS opposes Jordaan’s re-election.

The Emergency Committee’s decision, which still requires NEC ratification, comes in the wake of strong criticism from Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie, who threatened to escalate the matter to CAF and FIFA.

The meeting had also been scheduled to address the approval of SAFA’s 2024/2025 audited financial statements, a point that reportedly fueled tensions.

In addition, the committee was expected to discuss dates for the upcoming Ordinary and Constitutional Congresses, key steps in the lead-up to SAFA’s elections, likely set for September.

“The South African Football Association (SAFA) Emergency Committee has moved to suspend four members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) with immediate effect following a late-night meeting held in Johannesburg on Friday, 13 March 2026.

The suspended NEC members have already signaled their intention to contest the emergency committee’s ruling, a process that could be protracted.

As SAFA prepares for its next elective congress, internal disputes between NEC members, regional branches, and local football associations continue to mount, signaling a turbulent path ahead.