'Hands off Jordaan': Mama Joy stands by Safa president amid fraud, theft charges

South African sports superfan Joy “Mama Joy” Chauke has shown support for the South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan, who is embroiled in a legal battle.

Jordaan, along with his co-accused, Safa CFO Gronie Hluyo and businessman Trevor Neethling, appeared in the Palm Ridge magistrate's court on Tuesday. They face allegations of fraud and theft amounting to R1.3m.

Mama Joy took to social media to express her support for Jordaan, posting pictures of them together during Jordaan's court appearance. “Hands off my president Danny Jordaan. I am asking the court to drop the charges. Have patience and wait for the court to prove that he is guilty. For now, hands off.”

Jordaan and his co-accused failed to have their case struck off the roll and the case was postponed to February 7 2025.

Previously, Jordaan had filed an urgent application to interdict his arrest and prosecution, but the National Prosecuting Authority deemed the application flawed, leading to his arrest. The trio was released on R200,000 bail each after their first appearance last month.

Despite the allegations, Mama Joy remains confident in Jordaan's leadership, attributing the charges to jealousy over his success. “Some people are jealous. They can see him doing well. As a supporter, I am happy under his leadership. He is doing well in his job.  Personally, I think Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana are doing well under his leadership. For me, that's an achievement under his leadership,” she said in an interview with Kaya FM.

Mama Joy was among a group of supporters who rallied in court on Tuesday in defence of Jordaan. However, her support was met with criticism.