As Bafana Bafana players were preparing for their important Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifier against Nigeria on Tuesday, the South African Football Association (Safa) president, Danny Jordaan, was involved in a scuffle and almost traded blows with national executive committee (NEC) member Simphiwe Mkhangelwa.
The incident occur-red at the Protea Hotel in Bloem-fontein where Safa was supposed to have held its NEC meeting. As a result of the incident, the meeting was abandoned.
Several anonymous Safa members who attended the NEC ordinary meeting before the all-important qualifier revealed to Sunday World how the sordid incident came about.
The members mentioned that on Tuesday morning, Jordaan attempted to block Mkhangelwa, the president of Safa Nelson Mandela Bay, from registering to enter the meeting, which was due to start at 10:00am.
Jordaan argued that Mkhangelwa was suspended by his region and that he was not allowed in the NEC meeting.
A skirmish ensued when Mkhangelwa allegedly pushed Jordaan aside and made his way into the meeting hall, and that is when they manhandled each other, until they were separated by other officials, including senior members Poobie Govandisamy, Natasha Tsichlas and Monde Montshiwa.
Two days after the scuffle, Mkhangelwa addressed a letter to all NEC members, which Sunday World has seen.
Mkhangelwa said that his suspension was not legitimate, hence he attended the meeting.
Reads part of the letter: “There is a man who is destabilising my region and pushing for my suspension, the meeting was harshly called by the people claiming to be a regional executive officer (REO) without correct and proper channels, that is through the REO, over and above the fact that they did not form a quorum when they took a decision to suspend me as the president (sic).”
He added that the Safa CEO, Lydia Monyepao, did not bother to check with him or the REO the authenticity of the communication they received.
“Instead, after being invited to the NEC meeting like every NEC member, a day before the meeting (Monday), while driving to Bloemfontein, I received a call from the CEO who said she was directed to tell me not to attend the meeting due to the communication of my suspension. I told her that I was already on the way.
“Upon arrival, I was told that I am booked at Road Lodge as my room was given to another NEC member who was not booked, and the CEO said she was following the instructions from president Jordaan.
She then used her money to make a booking for me at Southern Sun after I refused the accommodation at Road Lodge.
“It was so degrading and embarrassing, as if I was being done a favour as the CEO said she was only booking me for one night and I would have to see for myself the following day,”
Mkhangelwa explains further that on Tuesday, when he arrived at the meeting venue, Jordaan came out shouting at him. “I queued for registration and match tickets with other members, and to my surprise, the president came shouting, refused me the match tickets through Ms Tshikani Baloyi, who was issuing them, and she said it was a directive from the president not to give them to me.
“I stomached it as unfair as it was, and when I approached the meeting entrance, I was approached violently by the president, who manhandled me, pushing me, shoving and pulling me, trying to deny me access
“When I asked him why, he said I must ask my province. I was humiliated as this was done in front of the staff and fellow NEC members.”
Mkhangelwa was suspended by his region on the following grounds: “It is alleged that you have … been instigating racial tension in the NMBFA region by calling certain LFAs (local football associations) and telling them that coloured people must never lead football in the NMBFA region, which is a violation of the NMBFA constitution.
“You have made serious allegations about Safa president, Danny Jordaan’s financial funding of the Larofa pre-season tournament during 2025, and also your deliberate and intentional misquoting of the vice president in your statements to Larofa.
“You have further failed to provide leadership in matters of LFAs and deliberately and maliciously contradicted other REC members.”
Safa CEO Monyepao had not responded to Sunday World enquiries at the time of publishing.
