8 November 2024 – The SAFA Safety and Security Protocol Committee met at SAFA House today to discuss a wide range of issues that the members said had to be attended to urgently.
Committee Chairman Tankiso Modipa said the meeting was convened urgently because the South African Football Association (SAFA) is being attacked relentlessly by internal and outside forces, and action must be taken against those who are seemingly hellbent on dragging the Association’s name through the mud on a weekly basis.
“We have noted that there are certain individuals who are continuing to damage the SAFA brand, and they are using certain media platforms to wage this war and smear the names and reputations of our members. The campaign has noticeably picked up in the last few weeks and enough is enough,” he said.
The SAFA Safety and Security Protocol Committee members are Chairman Modipa and his Deputy Clive Killian, while the other members are Mr Kwenzakwakhe Ngwenya, Captain Mosimanegape Mathe, Colonel Ramokgele Thithi (SAPS), Colonel Elbie Vinqi (SANDF) and Constable Jabu Mcina. They said they have observed that the smear campaign appears to be coordinated, and they have established that former SAFA NEC members and even staff are the source.
These members, they said, are using print, broadcast, newspapers and social media to carry out the attacks. The Committee members said they are determined to defend the Association and take strong exception to bitter former colleagues who are no longer at SAFA and never raised the issues they now have while they were members.
They said the leaks also pose a huge risk to the operations of the Association, its finances and the sponsors, including the safety of all SAFA members. They are investigating all these matters and will deal harshly with those who are found to be involved in the campaign.
The Committee further added that the next SAFA elections will only be held in 2026, and they are puzzled by continuous talk about the Elective Congress when it is two years away. “The current trend of people talking about the elections while we are in the middle of the current leadership term poses a huge risk to our Association. It diverts the attention of our teams that are busy with qualifiers. This is disruptive and self-defeating as some teams have already qualified for CAF events while others are about to wrap up their campaigns. We as the Committee are investigating all this and will even engage CAF and FIFA to make them aware of this threat to our members through the relevant structures,” the Committee said.
