President of the South African Football Association (Safa) in Tshwane Solly Mohlabeng, who is campaigning to unseat Safa president Danny Jordaan, was shot at and his vehicle hijacked outside his home in Tshwane on Sunday night.
Mohlabeng escaped death by the skin of his teeth when two men accosted him outside his Loftus Gardens house and shot at him before making off with his Ford Ranger bakkie, which belongs to his employer, the National Prosecuting Authority.
In a police statement seen by Sunday World, Mohlabeng said he had parked his vehicle outside his house and alighted it to open the gate to his house.
While busy opening the gate, an unknown armed man walked towards him and fired a shot at him.
“A black man, who was wearing black clothes covering his face with a mask approached me while busy cocking a firearm. I manage to run away. He fired one shot,” reads his statement.
Mohlabeng said another man came out of nowhere and joined the gunman in chasing after him when he was running for his life.
He said after scaling a few neighbours’ walls, he managed to lose his attackers and they returned to the vehicle and drove away in it, taking with them his firearm, several bullets and a wallet containing his bank cards.
Speaking to Sunday World, Mohlabeng confirmed the incident but was unable to establish the rationale behind his attack.
“I can’t speculate at this stage and can’t rule out anything either. It could have been an innocent crime incident because South Africa is like a crime scene and crime affects everybody including me,” Mohlabeng said.
“But it is also possible that there could have been other motives behind my attack. But I have confidence in the law enforcement agencies of our country and those responsible will definitely be brought to book,” he said.
Gauteng police spokesperson Mavela Masondo confirmed that a case of hijacking was opened and investigations were underway.
Mohlabeng also confirmed that he was contesting Jordaan and was optimistic that he would win the race because most of the regions wanted leadership and administration change at the cash-strapped organisation.
He and Chippa United boss Chippa Mpengise have thrown their hats in the ring to unseat Jordaan when Safa holds elections at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on March 26.
Although Jordaan, who has been in the position since 2013, has not indicated whether he would seek re-election, Mohlabeng is emerging as a strongest contender as he has been nominated by 22 of the 52 voting regions that already held their lobbying meetings.
“Under the current leadership, Safa cannot attract new sponsors and there is no financial stability. Safa does not follow its constitutional scripts. You cannot have an organisation that does not follow its own constitution and policies,” he said.
He also said of grave concern to him were Safa’s 2020 and 2021 finances, which were not audited by the auditors approved by the previous congress.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
