THE SAFA Nelson Mandela Bay elective congress resumed under the SAPS presence, after a long delay, at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday, after seven local football associations (LFAs) were denied access to the meeting, as the regional structure told them that they were not in good standing.
The meeting was supposed to have started at 09:00 but the seven LFAs entered the boardroom without being given accreditation cards.
The police were called to quell the situation, but the regional president called out the names of the football associations from Northern Areas, Walmer (WAFA), New Brighton (NEBFA), Kuyga (KUFA) and Port Elizabeth Football Association (PEFA), as the only LFAs who were in good standing.
The seven aggrieved and disgruntled LFAs were Zakhele FA (ZAFA), Zwide FA (ZWIFA), PE East FA (PEEFA), PE North FA (PENFA), Motherwell FA (MOFA), Nobuhle Despatch FA (NODEFA) and Langa Rosedale FA (LAROFA).
The PE Express correspondent was also denied access, according to instructions from the regional chairperson, Simphiwe Mkhangelwa.
NODEFA deputy president, Siyabonga Ncunguta, persuaded the security officers to allow the correspondents without accreditation cards to be allowed to enter the stadium.
There was an altercation between Mkhangelwa and PEEFA president, Zolani Willem, which nearly became a fight. Police became involved and the LFAs who claimed to be in good standing vacated the meeting. At 14:45, the police informed the disgruntled LFA delegates that they could not enter the stadium.
The five remaining LFAs, who failed to make a quorum, got into the boardroom to conduct the elective congress that was delayed for more than six hours. The presidential candidate, Sabelo Nkuhlu, from ZAFA, was not given access to the boardroom, leaving only one candidate, Mkhangelwa, for president.
Nkuhlu said, “We are going to subject the matter to legal review. Furthermore, we resolved not to host SAFA NMB in our LFAs.
“Again, we will consolidate our power base and source funding for the seven LFAs. All the progressive LFAs will meet under the Football Transformation Forum to chat a response to the unlawful congress in due course.”
The pandemonium happened in the presence of SAFA EC president, Mzimkhulu Fina, SAFA EC member, Andile Ngcongwana, and SAFA NEC deployed member, Monde Mutshiwa.
