/ 19 January 2004

Debate is on over Mashaba payout

Lawyers representing Ephraim ”Shakes” Mashaba and the South African Football Association (Safa) were expected to haggle all day over a financial settlement, the ousted Bafana Bafana coach said on Monday.

Safa attorney Zola Majavu was not immediately available for his comment.

The lawyer, however, on Sunday rejected media reports that claimed Mashaba would receive a R1-million payout from Safa.

”How can that be possible when we are still in discussions?” he asked.

He added that he met Mashaba’s lawyers earlier in the day and that they had agreed on certain issues.

”We made a proposal, and I will take it back to my clients [Safa, for consideration],” he told a Johannesburg daily.

Mashaba won his case against Safa in the Johannesburg High Court on Friday but the national soccer body remained firm in its decision not to take him back.

”No order was made by [Judge Sunita] Snyders pertaining to the reinstatement of Mr Mashaba. On this basis, Mr Mashaba remains dismissed by Safa,” the office of Safa president Molefi Oliphant said on Friday.

Safa suspended Mashaba for seven days the week before last, following what they termed as a ”breach of his contract”.

He then took them to court to try and get his suspension reversed, but on Thursday, the last day of the suspension, Safa announced it had fired him and had instead appointed Styles Phumo as the caretaker coach to lead Bafana Bafana in their attempt to reclaim the African Nations Cup trophy in Tunisia. South Africa won in it 1996.

The team left for Senegal on Friday morning with Phumo and Roger de Sa (Wits University coach) in charge.

Bafana Bafana and Senegal played a friendly over the weekend, which South Africa lost 1-2. — Sapa