It’s a new year and we’ve already had another long letter from an SA Football Association (Safa) official bemoaning Danny Jordaan’s leadership of the organisation.
This week, we reported on a letter written by Gladwin White, a former Safa vice-president, wherein he blasted Jordaan’s leadership style and accused him of seeking a fourth term when his current mandate expires in two years’ time.
White’s letter was sent to the Safa national executive members at the weekend, and it contained allegations so familiar that we probably would sound like struck records if we were to repeat them.
It follows similar angry letters written by Safa high-ranking officials – such as former CEOs Tebogo Motlanthe, Dennis Mumble and Gay Mokoena, and presidential candidate Ace Ncobo – in the past few years, all of whom lamented the absence of corporate governance at Safa House.
We find it curious that Safa has still not realised that all these leaders had a common complaint, about one person, and while they were forced out of the organisation, the person they moaned about remains to run amok.
In the latest letter, White accuses Jordaan of “bullying” current CEO Lydia Monyepao into concluding a contract with a new security company, something Motlanthe – in his resignation letter last year – also hinted at.
In response, Safa issued a rumbling statement which didn’t address any of the issues raised by White, except to claim that Jordaan and Monyepao’s working relationship was “cordial”.
Monyepao herself has not said anything on the matter amid suggestions she – like Motlanthe – has been reduced to a “glorified clerk”, with Jordaan assuming the role of “executive president responsible for day-to-day running of the organisation”, as bemoaned by Mumble a few years ago.
When will Jordaan realise that he’s indeed the elephant in the room, the main cause of instability at Safa House?
He is serving his third term as president but none of the people who backed him are by his side. He has a way of finding new lackeys after falling out with those who believed in him.
Jordaan will probably find another lackey to do his bidding but it’s about time he realises he’s the real problem at Safa House.