DURBAN - There will be huge pressure on Tebogo Motlanthe, the new acting chief executive of Safa, but he says it is a “good feeling” to get the job and that he will do his best to restore Safa’s tarnished image.
Gay Mokoena’s contract as acting chief executive was not renewed in March, and the position was left vacant until Motlanthe’s appointment on Saturday.
“It is a good feeling that I’ve been appointed as the acting CEO of Safa. I’m looking forward to bringing in some changes where it is possible, but also look at the current state of the country where there’s lockdown. There’s minimal on-field action which gives me an opportunity to sit down and see what can we fix administratively,” Motlanthe said.
Motlanthe has served as Safa’s legal officer since 2011, and he feels this could strongly work in his favour.
“I know the set up and I know what we need to work on. There’s no specific mandate. You work in terms of your job description. But it is always an advantage to get a position where you’ve worked with the people involved because you are not new to the set up.”
Mokoena made a number of allegations, especially targeting Safa president Danny Jordaan.
Mokoena filed a report that was intended for the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Safa, but was leaked to the media. In the report, Motlanthe was branded as one of the favourite sons of Jordaan.
Asked to comment on this, Motlanthe said: “I’ll be very much upfront with you. As far as what is mentioned in that report is concerned, I’ve made a conscious decision not to comment and the reason is that I don’t know what the NEC will decide.
“If the NEC decides that there must be an enquiry of some sort, that’s where I’ll go and give the right facts. As long as the organisation has not yet taken the decision on what they want to do, my hands are tied, I can’t comment and be seen to be going up against the vice president of Safa.
“Mr Mokoena is still the vice president of the organisation. I’ll wait for the right platform where I’ll deal with issues. Sometimes you have to put your feelings aside and respect the organisation process.”
Motlanthe will be acting on a month-to-month basis and will continue to help the legal department.
“Honestly, I didn’t anticipate getting this job until I was approached. I’ve always focused on membership and legal affairs. We have to make sure that the association remains functional. The report that was leaked might have damaged the image of the organisation a little bit but once the policy makers decide what they want to do with it, that’s when the country will have the confidence back,” Motlanthe said.