Dennis Mumble, Chief Executive of the South African Football Association (SAFA), has written to SAFA members alleging that a campaign of misinformation is being waged in order to destabilise the body. ‘The disinformation campaign is on record as saying that their objective is that (i) no elections should take place, (ii) that the President of the Association must be removed and (iii) that the Association’s unity must be undermined’ writes Mumble in the letter (PDF below).

The SAFA Elective Congress was due to take place on 24 March, however it was postponed four days in advance following questions about whether it was in compliance with SAFA and FIFA’s Electoral Code. On 31 March, SAFA President Danny Jordaan appointed Vice President Xolile Nkompela as Acting President ‘until such time that the President is able to resume his duties’.

Mumble argued against allegations that the Electoral Committee must be elected by the SAFA General Assembly six months before an Elective General Assembly. He also argues that the withdrawal of South Africa’s Independent Electoral Committee (IEC) was ‘maliciously instigated’.

‘This is a deliberate misrepresentation of this clause of the Electoral Code’, he writes. ‘The proponents maliciously omit the words “or the body that represents it [Congress] between congresses”, meaning that the SAFA Council can also elect the Electoral Committee. Additionally, this provision (Article 4.3 of the Electoral Code) only refers to the general assembly that has to elect the Electoral Committee 6 months before, and not to “the body that represents it between congresses”. 

‘Whilst it is preferred that Congress elect the Electoral Committee, Article 86 of the SAFA Statutes and Article 4(3), read in conjunction with Article 4(1) of the Electoral Code, makes provision for the SAFA Council to elect the Electoral Committee, especially in case of force majeure as happened by the maliciously instigated withdrawal of the IEC. The Electoral Committee has therefore been properly elected.’