The South African Football Association (Safa) and former vice-president Ria Ledwaba’s bitter dispute has taken a nasty turn, with the national association threatening to seize her bank accounts in order to recoup costs from the numerous court cases she lost.
Ledwaba and the national football association are involved in a bitter battle over the leadership of Safa.
Lebwaba has been challenging Safa in various court battles since before the 2022 Safa presidential elections.
Even though she later lost the elections by a landslide, she is still challenging the association in court, saying that Safa violated its own constitution.
Danny Jordaan came out victorious in those elections and was given a third term as Safa president.
However, the unrelenting former Ria Stars owner has had two cases thrown out or dismissed by the courts, with costs, and Safa says it wants to recoup the association’s money from Ledwaba.
The high court in Pretoria dismissed her appeal case in February.
She was hoping that the 2022 presidential elections would be declared null and void, but the judge ruled otherwise.
Since then, Ledwaba has launched another court appeal.
Two weeks ago, Safa wrote to Ledwaba and notified her that she was banned from football activities and that she is a “persona non grata”.
Safa later rescinded its decision and withdrew the association’s ban on the veteran football administrator.
However, it made it clear in a letter, which Sunday World has seen, that the association wants to attach her bank accounts to recover its money.
Reads the Safa letter in part: “It is pertinent to note that the above-captioned matter is not the only matter that you have lost against Safa, with the courts having awarded cost orders against you.
“There are two other matters wherein cost orders were ordered against you, but our attorneys are struggling to recover the same costs from you as the Sheriff of the Court has delivered nulla bona returns of service, having not found you at your last known addresses.
“Be that as it may, our attorneys are now attending to issue warrants of execution to attach your bank accounts in order to recover the costs as ordered by the courts.
“Nothing contained herein, nor is our failure to deal with any matter that is or may become an issue between you and ourselves, to be construed as an admission, novation or waiver of whatsoever nature of our rights remain strictly reserved.”
Ledwaba has always maintained that she is using her own money for legal costs.
“Safa people are using football money to pay for these legal court fees. I am using my own family money — the money for my kids — because I believe I am doing the right thing for SA football,” she said at a press briefing in Randburg last week.
“This is not for Ria Ledwaba; I am not fighting for positions at Safa; I want justice for SA football so that it can be rescued from individuals,” she said last week at her press conference in Randburg.
