SAFA to seek legal costs after Danny Jordaan’s re-election

Dr Danny Jordaan’s return to the South African Football Association (SAFA) presidency will be followed by an attempt to recover legal costs from the two candidates who challenged his previous election victory.

SAFA says it will pursue Ria Ledwaba and Solly Mohlabeng for expenses incurred during a series of court cases linked to the 2022 presidential election.

Jordaan won that contest, but Ledwaba and Mohlabeng disputed the result and took their challenge through several stages of the South African legal system. The case was heard in the Pretoria High Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court.

According to SAFA, the pair have now failed seven times in efforts to overturn the election result and challenge their standing within the organisation.

The Constitutional Court recently dismissed their application for leave to appeal, with costs. SAFA considers that ruling to have brought the latest stage of the long-running dispute to a close.

The association will now seek to recover the legal expenses built up during what it describes as a four-year battle. It said the initial claim would be sent to Ledwaba and Mohlabeng in the coming days.

The move comes only a short time after Jordaan secured another term as SAFA president by defeating AmaZulu president Sandile Zungu in the latest election.

SAFA’s decision represents the first significant step taken by the association in relation to the earlier election dispute since Jordaan’s re-election.