JOHANNESBURG – Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana has not yet thrown in the towel on the Safa presidency, announcing on Wednesday morning that he will interdict the mother body’s elective congress on March 24.
The former deputy president and member of the national executive committee had made his intentions to challenge incumbent Danny Jordaan clear early last month, until he was stopped dead in his tracks by the association’s constitution, which ruled it out as ineligible because he was not tied to any structure.
Nonkonyana was fired by Safa in 2014 and has lost countless court battles to be reinstated.
Safa on Monday confirmed that Jordaan had received 52 nominations, while former referee and PSL general manager Ace Ncobo got just one.
“When Chief Nonkonyana accepted an invitation from the members of Safa to stand for nomination, the leadership of Safa embarked on a dirty campaign to intimidate and issue propaganda that he is not eligible,” the statement read. “In order to be able to continue with their false propaganda, they filed an application to postpone the finalisation of the court case that had been instituted by the former vice president.”
Nonkonyana had at some point over the last several weeks suggested he would back businessman Tokyo Sexwale to take on Jordaan for the top administrative job after his name was put forward by the newly formed National Football Consultative Forum (NFCF), which Safa say is made up of disgruntled ex-NEC members.
“We wish to state that members nominated Chief Nonkonyana, and when they submitted the nomination forms with auditors KPMG, they found members of the Safa national executive had decided not to submit the nomination forms,” the statement revealed further. “We contest the false propaganda that Dr Danny Jordaan was nominated by all 52 regions of Safa, more so with some of the regions still to have elections, and at an appropriate time, we will produce evidence supporting this.”
Nonkonyana has also claimed to have written a letter to world football governing body Fifa asking for their intervention in what he described as “mudslinging”.
“I have no doubt in my mind that the decision to hold elections early, coupled with the conduct of Safa officials, was designed to manipulate electoral process and is riddled with gross violations of Safa, Caf and Fifa statutes.
“I am determined to make sure that the entire process is started afresh and is conducted in accordance with Safa, Caf and Fifa statutes.” said Nonkonyana.
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