The South African Football Association (Safa) announced this week that there was no suitable person in the country to assume the position of technical director.
The position became vacant after former Bafana Bafana coach Jomo Sono refused to take it on a permanent basis that would have given him sweeping powers (over those of the national coach) in player selections.
Safa has now given those sweeping powers to the new Bafana coach, Ephraim ”Shakes” Mashaba. Safa president Molefi Oliphant said: ”No one in the country has the skills required by the association for this [technical director] position so it will be given to an overseas person who will be announced soon.”
On his appointment to the senior post, Mashaba — former coach of the under-23 squad — said: ”My priority is to restore the image of football in general in the country, make Bafana Bafana marketable and introduce a culture of excellence in the team.”
The appointment of Mashaba, effective from August 1, put to rest the notion of two men coaching the national team — one in the Council of Southern African Football Association (Cosafa) Cup and the other of the African Nations Cup qualifiers.
Sono eased Safa’s dilemma by proposing that he step down from coaching Bafana Bafana in the Cosafa competition when the new coach is announced and Safa agreed.
Mashaba’s first match in charge will be the Cosafa Cup semifinal against Swaziland on August 24, and he follows that up with an African Nations Cup qualifying match against Côte d’Ivoire in Abidjan.
Mashaba can take Oliphant’s comment that ”Safa will give [the new coach] all the necessary support” with a pinch of salt. These words have been said to all the previous Bafana coaches — and they have all learned the hard way that when days are dark in Safa friends are also few.
Mashaba’s contract is for two years ending in December 2004.
The men that competed for the job with Mashaba did not go home empty handed. Former Ria Stars coach Styles Phumo was out of a job for 72 hours then appointed assistant to Mashaba, while Khabo Zondo of Golden Arrows will be asked to assist whenever necessary.
Trott Moloto, former top coach then assistant to Sono, was offered the coaching job of the under-23 team. He flatly refused and therefore is now out of a job.