The four South African Football Association (Safa) national executive committee (NEC) members who were suspended in March have been expelled by a resolution taken at the body’s congress on the East Rand, Johannesburg, on Sunday.
Safa vice-president Linda Zwane said this resolution was based on the members allegedly transgressing the association’s statutes by taking the matter of their suspension to court when internal processes had not been exhausted.
Zwane was speaking after the congress at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg where Safa’s 2025 financial report was given, some constitutional amendments made and September confirmed as the month to hold the association’s elective congress.
The four NEC members — Gladwyn White, Orapeleng Setlhare, Monde Montshiwa and Emma Hendricks — were suspended for bringing the association into disrepute.
In terms of the members an item was placed before congress that congress had to take a decision whether these members, by taking Safa to court after the were suspended [transgressed statutes]
— Safa vice-president Linda Zwane
The suspensions came into effect after a Safa emergency committee meeting after a chaotic March 7 NEC meeting.
They went to court on May 9 in a bid to set aside their suspension or force the association to agree to an arbitration process.
“In terms of the members an item was placed before congress that congress had to take a decision whether these members, by taking Safa to court after the were suspended [transgressed statutes],” Zwane said.
“Because it is very clear they have not exhausted all their internal avenues. And the congress therefor resolved the members must be expelled.”
The first decision was to suspend them pending the DC, but this decision to take the matter to court has resulted in this
— Zwane
In a follow-up, Zwane was asked if Safa has a concern that a question might arise as to the suspended members being expelled without a disciplinary committee (DC) process.
“Look, these said members were suspended by the NEC pending the DC. But while the process was leading to that they decided to go to a court, which is against Safa statutes and the Fifa statutes, of course.
“So that [their expulsion] is the consequence of the court [action]. The first decision was to suspend them pending the DC, but this decision to take the matter to court has resulted in this.
“That is how you treat them. Whether they were suspended and what the merits were of the suspension was not discussed here because that belonged to another forum.
“But the matter that was before congress was them taking the matter to court.”
The four filed an affidavit at the Mahikeng high court alleging their suspension was an orchestrated plan to exclude them from crucial meetings, including this weekend’s congress, and accusing Safa president Danny Jordaan of “driving a personal vendetta”.
It is believed Jordaan will seek a fourth term when Safa holds an elective congress later this year, and the four allege they’re being punished for attempting to hold him accountable for “governance failures” and also his pending case before the Joburg commercial crimes court.
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