Joe Phaahla, the director general of the 2010 Fifa World Cup government unit, is stepping down.
Phaahla has asked to be relieved of his three-year contract, which expires in August.
In a statement on Thursday, the unit said Sport and Recreation Minister Makhenkesi Stofile has agreed to this, and Phaahla will leave the unit at the end of this month.
”Dr Phaahla approached the minister in January 2008 to indicate that he would not be available for any extension of his current contract. He further requested that his contract be shortened in order to allow an earlier handover to a new head of the 2010 Fifa World Cup government unit, considering the fact that the World Cup is less than 30 months away,” said the statement.
”Dr Phaahla has indicated that he wished to focus on opportunities in the private sector,” the statement added.
Phaahla was elected to the African National Congress national executive committee in December last year, and the statement said he would also like to spend more time on work within the ruling party.
He expressed his gratitude to the Cabinet for appointing him to head the government unit in August 2005, and gave his assurance that the unit was ”fully functional and would be able to continue coordinating government work on preparations for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.” — Sapa