5 December 2024 – The South African Football Association (SAFA) has welcomed the High Court’s latest ruling (handed down on Thursday, 5 December 2024), which unequivocally rejects the continued efforts by Ms. Ria Ledwaba and Mr. Solly Mohlabeng to challenge the outcome of the Association’s Elective Congress in June 2022.
This judgment reinforces the integrity of SAFA’s election processes and serves as a clear message against efforts to undermine the Association. In October 2022, after suffering a significant defeat in the SAFA Presidential elections, Ms. Ledwaba and Mr. Mohlabeng sought to overturn the results. They launched an Application at the Pretoria division of the High Court, seeking to invalidate and set aside the elections’ outcome.
SAFA opposed the application, standing firm in defence of the rights of the SAFA members who participated in the voting process and further sought to uphold the SAFA Statutes, which govern the election and administration processes. On 9 February 2024, the Pretoria High Court, under Honourable Judge Holland-Muter, ruled that the Applicants no longer held membership or positions of authority within SAFA structures. As such, they had no legal standing to invoke the SAFA Statutes or pursue any disputes under the jurisdiction of SAFA. The Court accurately dismissed their application with costs, including costs of two (2) Counsels, with one being that of Senior Counsel.
Ms. Ledwaba and Mr. Mohlabeng filed for leave to appeal on 21 February 2024, citing misinterpretations of the SAFA Statutes in their submissions. The leave to appeal was heard on 4 December 2024, and today, 5 December 2024, the High Court once again ruled against them, confirming that their appeal lacked reasonable prospects of success. The Court further emphasised that no other court would likely reach a different conclusion, and that there were no compelling circumstances justifying consideration by a higher Court, including that there is no important point of law that they raised which justify consideration by a higher Court. Once again, the application for leave to appeal was dismissed with costs, including costs of a Senior Counsel.
SAFA remains resolute in its mission to foster the growth of football, promote social cohesion, and unite the country through the power of the sport. This judgment reaffirms our commitment to advancing football in South Africa and beyond and safeguarding its governance and administration from unwarranted disruptions.
