SAFA power struggle explodes as NEC meeting ends in chaos

Visuals from the meeting, chaired by president Danny Jordaan, show NEC members exchanging heated words before pushing, shoving and eventually throwing punches. 

At the centre of the dispute was a proposed motion to suspend several NEC members, put forward by national convenor of the Football Transformation Forum (FTF), Tankiso Modipa.

Modipa and his grouping are in support of Jordaan standing for a fourth four-year term in the SAFA presidential elections later this year. 

In an email seen by SABC Sport, Modipa wrote to SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao in December 2025, proposing that a motion in which he called for the suspension of NEC members Gladwin White, Monde Montshiwa, Bhuda Mathate and Lebogang Riet be voted on.

This followed allegations that the quartet had breached SAFA’s communication policy by speaking to the media. 

The matter had already been debated at length during an NEC meeting in June 2025 but was never put to a vote, with Modipa requested that it be returned to the agenda for this meeting.

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Saturday’s confrontation reflected a growing battle within the SAFA hierarchy between members aligned with the FTF and those aligned to the Save Our Soccer (SOS) movement opposing Jordaan’s bid for a fourth successive term and calling for change.

Sources have also indicated that tensions escalated when the item of the suspension of the four members was moved from number 13 to item 4 on the agenda. 

This would have meant the vote could then take place earlier in the meeting, potentially resulting in the suspension of the four members before other critical matters were addressed. 

Among the key items on the agenda were SAFA’s audited financial statements, preparations for Bafana Bafana's 2026 FIFA World Cup, and programmes for other national teams, including Banyana Banyana. 

The chaotic scenes at SAFA House come just days after the association announced a multi-million rand four-year sponsorship deal with Standard Bank.

Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie reacted angrily to the incident, describing the behaviour as embarrassing and unacceptable. 

“This is hugely embarrassing and shameful behaviour by the people tasked with running our football. We will be informing CAF and FIFA of our intention to investigate and take action,” McKenzie posted on his X account. 

“We are hard at work bringing corporate sponsorship to SAFA to allow this nonsense.” 

Meanwhile, the association confirmed that the meeting had been adjourned following the disruption, which they blamed on the four disgruntled members.

“The South African Football Association’s NEC meeting held at SAFA House this afternoon (7 March 2026) was adjourned because we could not conclude the business of the day,” SAFA said in a statement. 

“The meeting was disrupted by four members in the room, and SAFA decided to adjourn the meeting to protect the integrity of the association. 

“SAFA regrets that these four individuals impacted on the entire programme that was planned by so many people behind the scenes who spent hours and days preparing for the meeting, and now their tireless hard work has been undermined by a few.

“SAFA has made tremendous progress in preparing our national teams in the past few months, and we are working around the clock to ensure that our senior and junior national teams are ready to represent the country. 

“We remain committed to ensuring that South African football is well represented on the global stage.”

However, with the SAFA elective congress only set for September, and regional elections across the country already marred by disputes and tension, the latest incident highlights the deep divisions continuing to plague leadership structures within SA football.