Safa CEO on Mashaba: 'How do you continue to work with a person after such an altercation'

23 May 2017 - 19:45 By Mahlatse Mphahlele
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Former Bafana Bafana head coach Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba (wearing a red tie) and his legal counsel at the CCMA in 6 April 2017.
Former Bafana Bafana head coach Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba (wearing a red tie) and his legal counsel at the CCMA in 6 April 2017.
Image: Mahlatse Mphahlele

CCMA commissioner Hlalele Molotsi‚ who is hearing sacked Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba's arbitration case‚ has said the outcome of the marathon matter should be known by the end of June.

The matter was again adjourned on Tuesday after Mashaba’s lawyer Claudio Bollo failed to complete his cross examination of South African Football Association (Safa) chief executive Dennis Mumble.

Mumble will go before the Parliamentary sports committee in Cape Town on Wednesday and will not be able to attend the CCMA hearing on the same day.

After Mumble’s appearance on Tueday‚ Mashaba is expected to finally take the stand later in the week and Bollo is expected to call two witnesses.

  • Safa hopes Shakes will shake on a settlementA R1.5-million carrot is being dangled before sacked Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba in a bid to end his long-running standoff with his former employers, the SA Football Association. 

Mashaba dragged Safa to the CCMA after he was sacked in December for his outbursts at the association and the media after the 2-1 win over Senegal in a 2019 World Cup qualifier at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane last November.

The case continued on Tuesday and Mumble maintained that the former Bafana coach was in a rage‚ animated and agitated after the game.

Mumble took the line that was taken by other Safa witnesses - Mathlomola Morake‚ Dominic Chimhavi‚ Peter Sejake‚ Tebogo Matlanthe and Robin Petersen - who have already appeared before the commission.

  • 'Mashaba was a man who was bitterly angry with Safa and the media' says PetersenSouth African Football Association (Safa) Development Agency chief executive Dr Robin Petersen has compared the behaviour of Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba’s after the 2-1 win over Senegal in Polokwane last year to dousing himself in petrol and setting himself alight. 

“I saw him (Mashaba) remonstrate with the SABC reporter and what I saw was an angry and animated coach. I had to intervene but I did not want to do it in front of cameras and that is the reason I decided to wait for him in the tunnel‚” said Mumble.

“I approached him later in the tunnel before we went into an empty room closer to the change rooms to find out what was happening.

"I did not do that in an aggressive manner but he was not calm‚ he was in a terrible state‚ in a rage and it was a heated argument‚” said Mumble‚ adding that after their altercation they moved to the dressing room where players were addressed by Safa president Danny Jordaan and Mamelodi Sundowns owner Patrice Motsepe.

  • 'Mashaba was a man who was bitterly angry with Safa and the media' says PetersenSouth African Football Association (Safa) Development Agency chief executive Dr Robin Petersen has compared the behaviour of Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba’s after the 2-1 win over Senegal in Polokwane last year to dousing himself in petrol and setting himself alight. 

Mumble said Mashaba offered an apology to Jordaan and Safa NEC members through him the following day but a decision to suspend him had already been taken because of the severity of his actions.

“He offered an apology to the president and NEC members and I promised to convey that message.

"The fact that he apologised did not change what happened the previous day and there was nothing personal about it.

  • Safa hopes Shakes will shake on a settlementA R1.5-million carrot is being dangled before sacked Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba in a bid to end his long-running standoff with his former employers, the SA Football Association. 

"There was no way I was going to take a chance of sending him with the team to Mozambique because at that stage because I still did not know what was on his mind.

"I took a decision to suspend him which at that time I believed it was the correct one.

“On a professional level‚ how do you continue to work with a person after such an altercation? It is not going to be possible to be able to continue working with him in the organization.”

- TMG Digital/TMG Sport

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