The long-awaited South African Football Association (Safa) elective congress has followers of the beautiful game, locally and abroad, waiting in anticipation to see who will reign victorious between incumbent, Danny Jordaan, and leading challenger, Sandile Zungu.
Set to take place on Saturday, September 12, the question is will Jordaan return to office for a fourth term, or will Safa see a new regime under Zungu?
Jordaan has been at the helm of the football association since 2013, when he replaced Kirsten Nematandani.
His reign, however, has not been without controversy. The 75-year-old is currently facing accusations of fraud, theft, and conspiracy to commit fraud involving approximately R1.3 million of the association’s funds.
READ: Former Safa boss taken into custody in relation to Danny Jordaan fraud case
However, despite this, he can also claim partial responsibility for some progress and success of the national teams in recent years. From junior to senior women’s and men’s national teams, trophies were won, and records were broken.
The U20s under coach Raymond Mdaka, for example, were crowned the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) champions in May 2025. They had reached the final for the first time in 28 years, and clinched their maiden trophy when they beat Morocco 1-0 in Cairo.
But before that, there was Banyana Banyana, who also won their maiden Women’s Afcon in 2022 and then went on to produce a Round of 16 at the World Cup the following year in 2023, which was their best-ever finish at the tournament.
The year for South African football seems to have been 2023, as Bafana Bafana went against all odds and reached the semi-finals of the Afcon but fell short and settled for a bronze medal under former mentor Hugo Broos.
Fast forward to 2026, where we witnessed Bafana make history at the World Cup in the Americas by making it past the group stages for the first time in the history of SA football.
But be that as it may, the calls for Jordaan to step down continue to gain momentum. Several staunch football fans are seeking young leadership and fresh ideas to take the standard to a different level and help restore the dignity of Safa, which has been tainted.
AmaZulu FC chairman and successful businessman, Zungu, believes he is the right man to take South African football forward and ultimately Safa’s reputation.
However, the question remains: has Zungu done enough in his campaigning to secure sufficient votes from the 52 Safa regions to succeed Jordaan? The 59-year-old believes so.
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Zungu is one of the more successful modern football administrators, and his work at AmaZulu speaks for itself. He acquired 100% ownership of Usuthu in 2020 and has attained great success with the club.
Most notable is when the club achieved a historic second-place finish in the PSL Premiership during the 2020/21 campaign under coach Benni McCarthy, and qualified for the CAF Champions League group stage for the first time.
Off the pitch, Zungu is an astute businessman. His private equity firm, Zungu Investments Company has interests spanning mining, infrastructure, education and financial services.
Yet, even with his immense success in business and football, Saturday will test whether Safa regions really trust him to take over, or Jordaan will prevail, proving true the famous proverb, “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”
- The South African Football Association (Safa) elective congress will be held on Saturday, September 12, where incumbent Danny Jordaan faces challenger Sandile Zungu.
- Danny Jordaan has led Safa since 2013 and is currently facing allegations of fraud involving about R1.3 million of the association's funds.
- Under Jordaan's leadership, South African football teams achieved significant successes, including the U20 men's winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2025 and Banyana Banyana winning their maiden Women's Afcon in 2022.
- Sandile Zungu, AmaZulu FC chairman and businessman, seeks to bring new leadership to Safa and has had notable success with his club, which finished second in the PSL Premiership in 2020/21 and reached the CAF Champions League group stage.
- The election outcome depends on the votes from 52 Safa regions, with Zungu confident of success despite the ongoing debate among supporters.
Set to take place on Saturday,
Jordaan has been at the helm of the football association since 2013, when he replaced Kirsten
His reign, however, has not been without controversy.
READ: Former Safa boss taken into custody in relation to
However, despite this, he can also claim partial responsibility for some progress and success of the national teams in recent years. From junior to senior women’s and men's national teams, trophies were won, and records were broken.
But before that, there was
Fast forward to 2026, where we witnessed Bafana make history at the World Cup in the Americas by making it past the group stages for the first time in the history of SA football.
But be that as it may, the calls for Jordaan to step down continue to gain momentum. Several staunch football fans are seeking young leadership and fresh ideas to take the standard to a different level and help restore the dignity of Safa, which has been tainted.
AmaZulu FC chairman and successful businessman,
However, the question remains: has
ALSO READ:
Most notable is when the club achieved a historic second-place finish in the PSL
Off the pitch,
Yet, even with his immense success in business and football, Saturday will test whether Safa regions really trust him to take over, or Jordaan will prevail, proving true the famous proverb, “better the devil you know than the devil you don't."
