Mathate accuses SAFA governance committee of being compromised

Speaking to the media during a press conference held in Soweto yesterday, Mathathe, has since been declared ineligible to stand for the elections by this five-member governance committee. 

Last week, the governance committee had said there are four eligible associate members candidates, but on the list SAFA released, there are only two. He alleges that the committee is controlled from somewhere.

"It does concern us, very, very much, with what is happening and you are 100% correct, there are four associate members who are illegible and my assumption is that we should have been one of those four because we complied with everything that was needed to be nominated,” Mathate said. 

“From where I'm seated, the Governance Committee is controlled from somewhere because some of the emails we get in terms of the questions that I'm asking come from the CEO of SAFA and they should be independent as a body that is responsible for elections. 

“I failed to understand one of the questions that I asked, the emails I sent to the Governance Committee, I got a response from the SAFA CEO, that's one. Maybe to answer your question directly, I feel they are being controlled from somewhere and they are compromised."

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Mathate says he was nominated by his organisation (associate member) and three regions, he says the nomination procedure is silent on associate members.

On the SAFA constitution, it’s stated that communication between nominated members and the governance committee will be through the CEO’s office.

But Mathate says the NEC had resolved that the committee will be entirely independent when dealing with the nominations and electoral processes.

"As members and very importantly as an NEC I have the latitude or the right as a member to raise my concerns which I did with the governance committee and I copied the SAFA CEO because I got that email from her,” he explained.

“Just to make sure that she also understands my concern around the issue of the independence of the Governance Committee being compromised because what we know and agreed on as the NEC was that we will have an independent body that will run the process of nominations and elections. 

“The entire process from nominations and the elections should be run by an independent body that was the agreement and resolution we took as NEC members and from where I'm sitting now, I don't think they are independent. They are compromised."

Mathate and the SAMLFA have declared that they are fully behind AmaZulu owner Sandile Zungu’s presidential candidature, as he aims to unseat the incumbent Danny Jordaan, who is vying for his fourth term as SAFA President.