AmaZulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has entered the fray, calling on all 11 football regions in KwaZulu-Natal to rally behind businessperson Sandile Zungu’s bid to become president of the South African Football Association (Safa).
The move comes as the final push for the Safa top job enters a critical stage, with regions consolidating support ahead of the elective congress on September 12.
Zungu, who owns PSL football outfit AmaZulu FC, is challenging incumbent Safa president Danny Jordaan in a bid to end his 13-year uninterrupted reign at the helm of the country’s football governing body.
With 11 regions in its fold, KwaZulu-Natal is considered a battleground and a core voting block for the Safa congress.
“His Majesty King Misuzulu has sent us to ensure that Mr Sandile Zungu gets the maximum support in his home province,” said Inkosi Malusi Zondi, the AmaZulu kingdom royal chancellor. The King has appealed to all Safa regions in the province to fully back Mr Zungu. We can’t afford to go to the congress, divided. We must go to the congress united and vote as a solid block. We believe that his election will not only enrich football in the province, but the country as a whole.”
The stakes have been raised further by staunch Jordaan backer Kwenza Khwela, who is also the provincial Safa chairperson. Khwela has said most KwaZulu-Natal regions have thrown their weight behind Jordaan’s bid for a fourth term.
“KwaZulu-Natal is the biggest province in Safa with 11 regions. Seven are behind the current president’s re-election. As the Football Transformation Forum (FTF), we’re leading in numbers,” he recently stated.
The grouping also believes Zungu should first prove his mettle in the PSL by challenging for the PSL chairpersonship before pursuing the Safa presidency at a later stage.
But Zondi said the King had made it clear that all regions should form one voting bloc.
“We’re urging and hoping that Mr Khwela will heed the call made by his Majesty that all football regions must put their differences aside and go to the congress as one. This is not about individuals, but the province and the future of football,” he said.
The FTF is a strong grouping backing Jordaan’s bid to retain the Safa presidency. Jordaan was elected in 2013 and has served three consecutive terms.
Zungu’s faction, Save Our Safa (SOS), hopes to garner sufficient support to oust Jordaan. His support includes football legends such as Lucas Radebe and Mark Fish.
They believe Zungu, as a respected businessperson, will change the face of football in the country and bring much-needed investment into grassroots football and lower-tier leagues.
Safa has 52 regions across all nine provinces. Of these, 11 are in KwaZulu-Natal, seven in the Eastern Cape, six each in Gauteng and the Western Cape, five each in the Free State, Limpopo and Northern Cape, four in North West and three in Mpumalanga.
A bruising battle is already playing out behind the scenes ahead of the congress.Angry regions have raised allegations of manipulation of regional congresses, claiming that people who would have been delegates at the upcoming national congress have been excluded.
Some regions are also contemplating approaching the courts in an attempt to stop the elective congress from going ahead.