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South African Football Clubs Association, Development site, Johannesburg (2026)

09/03/2026

SAFOCA Media Statement.

For Immediate Release.

Withdrawal of Mathaithai FC from the ABC Motsepe League – A Symptom of Systemic Non-Payment Crisis in SAFA Provincial Competitions.

The South African Football Clubs Association (SAFOCA) notes with deep concern the recent withdrawal of Mathaithai FC from the ABC Motsepe League in the Free State Province. This decision by the club is not taken lightly but is a direct consequence of prolonged and unacceptable delays in payments owed by the SAFA.net - South African Football Association to participating teams.

For several seasons, ABC Motsepe League clubs—including those in the Free State stream—have endured chronic non-payment or significant delays in travelling allowances (typically R30,000 per club per season), prize monies, and other operational subsidies. These funds are essential for clubs to cover basic expenses such as team travel, accommodation, match-day logistics, player stipends, coaching staff salaries, and administrative costs.

The impact of SAFA's failure to honour these financial commitments is devastating and far-reaching:
- Clubs are forced into unsustainable debt, operational paralysis, or outright withdrawal from competitions to avoid further financial ruin.
-Players—many of whom are semi-professional or aspiring professionals from disadvantaged communities—are left unpaid, demotivated, or compelled to seek opportunities elsewhere, disrupting career development and talent pipelines.
-Coaching and support staff face job insecurity, delayed salaries, and mounting personal hardships, eroding the quality of grassroots football development.

This is not an isolated incident but part of a recurring pattern that has plagued the ABC Motsepe League across multiple provinces for years. Despite repeated assurances, commitments, and even partial disbursements in some cases, the problem persists, undermining the integrity of the league, fair competition, and the spirit of development football in South Africa.

SAFOCA holds the SAFA National Executive Committee (NEC) directly accountable for this ongoing crisis. The NEC has a fiduciary duty to ensure equitable and timely resource allocation to its affiliate structures and member clubs. Continued inaction or mismanagement in this regard erodes trust in SAFA's governance and jeopardises the sustainability of provincial football.

We therefore urgently call upon:
1. The Minister Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to intervene decisively, including through an independent audit of SAFA's financial obligations to lower-tier clubs and enforcement of payment timelines to protect grassroots sport.
2. The Motsepe Foundation, as a key partner and sponsor in South African football development, to step in with emergency support mechanisms or advocacy to alleviate the immediate hardships faced by affected clubs, players, and staff.

SAFOCA remains committed to supporting its member clubs and advocating for fair treatment, transparency, and accountability in all SAFA-administered leagues. We urge all stakeholders to prioritise the welfare of the game at its foundation—without which professional structures cannot thrive.

We stand in solidarity with Mathaithai FC and all other clubs enduring similar challenges. No club should be forced to choose between participation and financial survival.

Ends

Issued by:
South African Football Clubs Association (SAFOCA)

27/02/2026

SAFOCA MEDIA STATEMENT

South African Football Clubs Association has noted with concern recent sentiments circulating regarding the handling of matters related to and regional governance.

We wish to emphasize that football administration must always prioritize fairness, transparency, and the best interests of clubs, which remain the foundation of the game. Concerns have been raised suggesting that certain processes may not have been handled equitably, potentially creating opportunities for individuals within regional structures to benefit while clubs continue to face challenges.

Through MySAFA, clubs automatically received FIFA number upon registration, which provided them with certain benefits. Questions remain as to how any new system will obtain such accreditation from FIFA and what guarantees exist that FIFA will grant approval. We believe that decisions taken regarding MySAFA matters were irrational and inadequate, as they risk compromising club integrity, fair play, and proper player registration, which could ultimately affect playoffs.

SAFOCA believes that any development that risks undermining clubs ultimately weakens the entire football ecosystem. We therefore call for accountability, open dialogue, and corrective measures where necessary to ensure that all structures serve the collective interests of the sport rather than individual agendas.

We encourage all stakeholders to remain vigilant, engaged, and committed to safeguarding the integrity and sustainability of football at regional and national levels.

Issued by: SAFOCA
Date: 27 February 2026

22/02/2026

SAFOCA MEDIA STATEMENT

Acknowledgment and Appreciation of AmaZulu FC Chairman Suggested to Contest SAFA Presidency Against Danny Jordaan

As a club owners' association, SAFOCA rallies behind this suggestion and offers its full support. SAFA requires a business-minded leader who can rescue the organisation from the ongoing challenges it has faced for years.
Clubs have been struggling without proper representation, and finally, they have identified someone who will surely turn things around. While the current president has achieved (or is achieving) notable progress with CAF, Amazulu FC's Chairman possesses the ability and vision to do the same — and more — for SAFA.net - South African Football Association.

WE ARE FULLY BEHIND THIS INITIATIVE and sincerely hope that Mr Sandile Zungu will accept the call to step forward and help save South African football moving forward.

We urge all stakeholders to offer their support during this critical time for the future of our game.

Ends

SAFOCA

(South African Football Clubs Association)

02/02/2026

SOUTH AFRICAN FOOTBALL CLUBS ASSOCIATION

OFFICIAL MEDIA STATEMENT
Date: 02 February 2026

A Warning Against Empowering Factions Opposed to Grassroots Interests.

The South African Football Clubs Association (SAFOCA), as the unified voice of clubs across all levels of South African football, remains deeply concerned about ongoing governance challenges within SAFA that continue to undermine the very foundation of our beautiful game.

SAFOCA has consistently highlighted SAFA's blatant inconsistencies, incompetence, and double standards in handling club matters — from bypassing internal processes in high-profile disputes to selective accountability that favors certain individuals and structures while sidelining the collective will of clubs. We have called out specific NEC members and provincial leaders for actions that erode transparency, bully dissenting voices, and prioritize personal or executive agendas over development, payments, and fair representation.

Of particular alarm is the re-emergence and potential empowerment of lobby groups and individuals — including elements associated with the Football Transformation Forum (FTF) — whose positions and campaigns appear fundamentally at odds with the true interests and will of the majority of clubs. These factions often push for extended tenures, succession plans, or structures that do not originate from or serve the grassroots club base. They risk centralizing power away from clubs, the true heartbeat of football, in favor of top-down control that has already led to unpaid allowances, neglected infrastructure, and stalled reforms.

SAFOCA firmly asserts: Empowering FTF members and similar elements who act against the club's will will be the end of football as we know it in South Africa. Without genuine club autonomy, accountability, and stakeholder-driven decision-making, football faces irreversible decline — from grassroots participation to professional integrity and national team success. Football cannot survive when clubs, the lifeblood of the game, are sidelined, ignored, or overridden by misaligned influences.

We reiterate our demands:
- Immediate accountability from SAFA NEC members and provincial structures implicated in inconsistencies and bullying.
- Dissolution or reform of structures that fail to represent club voices.
- Full stakeholder engagement in 2026 as a pivotal year for football's direction, ensuring clubs have real power in shaping governance, finances, and development.
- Urgent resolution of longstanding issues, including payments owed to clubs and fair processes in all disputes.

SAFOCA will not stand idly by while the legacy of our football forefathers is trampled and the future of the game is jeopardized. We call on all genuine stakeholders — clubs, regions, players, coaches, and supporters — to unite in demanding club-centered reforms. The voice of clubs must prevail, for there is no football without clubs.

SAFOCA remains committed to fighting for transparency, fairness, and the survival of South African football.

Issued by:
South African Football Clubs Association ! ⚽

26/01/2026

SAFOCA MEDIA STATEMENT
For Immediate Release
Date: 26 January 2026

SAFOCA Condemns Msunduzi Municipality's Neglect and Mistreatment of Local Football Clubs – Urgent Call for Intervention to Restore Football in Pietermaritzburg.

The South African Football Clubs Association expresses deep concern and strong condemnation over the ongoing neglect, unfair treatment, and systemic mistreatment of football clubs based in the Msunduzi Municipal area, particularly in Pietermaritzburg.

Recent events have once again highlighted a disturbing pattern whereby the Msunduzi Municipality appears to prioritize external or select interests over the development and sustainability of grassroots and semi-professional football within its own jurisdiction:

Midlands Wanderers FC (Abafana Bebatha), a proud local club recently promoted to higher structures including the National First Division, has been compelled to relocate its home fixtures away from Harry Gwala Stadium to venues outside Msunduzi (including Mpumalanga Stadium in eThekwini Municipality). This stems directly from:
- Unsustainably high stadium hire fees (reported minima exceeding R38,000 per match).
- Chronic neglect of the playing surface, including inadequate grass maintenance and general upkeep.
- Poor operational management and failure to meet basic professional standards.

These conditions have forced club officials and supporters to undertake manual maintenance tasks themselves, undermining the dignity of the sport and the club's ability to compete effectively.

This is not an isolated incident. Maritzburg United, a former Premier Soccer League (PSL) flagship club of Pietermaritzburg, was similarly driven out due to unresolved stadium disputes and lack of municipal support. The club relocated to eThekwini Municipality, rebranded as Durban City FC, and now thrives elsewhere—depriving the Midlands region of a vital PSL presence and community.

While local clubs face prohibitive costs and dilapidated facilities, the Msunduzi Municipality previously allocated substantial public funds (including multi-million rand sponsorships) to select teams such as Royal AM FC. Several of these arrangements were later deemed unlawful by the Pietermaritzburg High Court, underscoring poor governance and unequal application of resources. In stark contrast, homegrown clubs like Midlands Wanderers receive no comparable assistance, effectively being "disowned" by their own municipality.

SAFOCA views this as a clear case of neglect that erodes football infrastructure, discourages investment in youth development, and pushes talent and clubs toward neighboring municipalities like eThekwini. Pietermaritzburg, as the capital of KwaZulu-Natal, deserves better stewardship of its sporting heritage, including the iconic Harry Gwala Stadium.

SAFOCA therefore demands the following immediate actions:

- The MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture in KwaZulu-Natal to urgently intervene and engage with the Msunduzi Municipality to address these systemic failures.
- A comprehensive review and overhaul of stadium hire policies, maintenance protocols, and support mechanisms to ensure fair, affordable, and equitable access for all local clubs.
- Restoration of meaningful support for football in the Midlands region, preventing further exodus of teams and preserving community pride.
- Transparent stakeholder engagements involving clubs, supporters, the National Soccer League (NSL), and municipal leadership to reverse the trend of neglect.

Football is more than a game in South Africa—it is a vehicle for social cohesion, youth empowerment, and economic opportunity. Msunduzi Municipality's current approach risks hollowing out the sport in Pietermaritzburg and the broader Midlands area.

SAFOCA stands in solidarity with Midlands Wanderers FC, its supporters, and all affected clubs. We call on all stakeholders to act decisively to restore dignity, fairness, and investment in local football.

Issued by:
South African Football Clubs Association (NtimeOmphele Ngwana)

ENDS

22/01/2026

SAFOCA MEDIA STATEMENT

The South African Football Clubs Association (SAFOCA) is deeply saddened by the passing of Mlibo Pupuma, Chief Executive Officer of Milford FootballClub.

SAFOCA extends its heartfelt condolences to the Pupuma family, friends, the Milford FC community, and all those touched by his life and contributions to football during this difficult time.

May his soul rest in peace.

Ends

10/01/2026

SAFOCA MEDIA RELEASE.

Empowering Club Custodians – A Milestone Achieved in Tsantsabane Local Football Association (TSALFA).

South African Football Clubs Association (SAFOCA) welcomes the recent election of the new executive committee at the Tsantsabane Local Football Association (TSALFA), a SAFA-affiliated regional body serving the Tsantsabane Municipality in the Northern Cape (including Postmasburg).

This development exemplifies SAFOCA's longstanding vision: that club owners, officials, and stakeholders – as the true custodians of grassroots football – must occupy positions of leadership within official South African Football Association (SAFA) structures. As SAFOCA has consistently articulated:

"You can't be in the taxi industry without owning a taxi."

Club representatives invest time, resources, and passion into the game; their direct involvement in governance ensures decisions are grounded in reality, promotes accountability, and drives sustainable development from the grassroots level upward.

The TSALFA election demonstrates this principle in action, with club-linked individuals emerging as officially elected members of the executive committee. This alignment strengthens SAFA's local structures, fosters unity among clubs like Postmasburg FC, and builds on recent regional successes, including competitive performances in the ABC Motsepe League, Engen Knock-Out Challenge, and community events such as the record-breaking 2025 Easter Tournament.

Tsantsabane Local Football Association (TSALFA) – Newly Elected Executive Committee
(Affiliated to SAFA – Advancing Grassroots Football in the Northern Cape)
Executive Committee
Chairperson – Elridge Asten Davids
1st Deputy Chairperson – Joane Ruiters
2nd Deputy Chairperson – Godfrey Mohamba
3rd Deputy Chairperson – Johan Kasper
Secretary – Lebogang Daniels
Treasurer – Karabo Mokanyane
Additional Members
Katlego Goieman
Beatrice Willemse
Benita Bobokwe
Bakang Morongwe
Alister Rodger Davids

SAFOCA congratulates the newly elected TSALFA leadership on this achievement. Your election represents meaningful progress toward inclusive, club-centered governance in South African football. We encourage other local associations to follow this model, ensuring that club voices are central to SAFA's decision-making processes nationwide.

SAFOCA remains dedicated to defending the interests of clubs, advocating for transparency, and pushing for reforms that prioritize the game's grassroots foundations.

31/12/2025

SAFOCA MEDIA STATEMENT

2026 Is an Important Year for South African Football.

As we enter 2026, we need to have deeper conversations as football stakeholders. We need to make tough decisions on the direction of the game. As South African Football Clubs Association , we need to ensure that the voice of clubs is heard, as there is no football without clubs.

We as clubs need to stand up against the bullying by elected officials who treat us as if we do not exist. In Limpopo, the chairman makes money on promotion and relegation while clubs and club owners are turned into spectators. It is about time the games are played in accordance with the rules and not favours.

Both women's and men's provincial leagues were brought into disrepute by one person who is parading as a chairman who believes that he owns the game.

52 regions have not been paid grants for over a year, and that has had a direct negative impact on football development, with most offices closed due to unpaid rentals. Elections are coming, and it is an open secret that the incumbent wants an unprecedented fourth term to protect all the mess and looting taking place in SAFA. Football people must ask these questions:

During the last elections, the incumbent said that it was his last term to groom a successor, and that did not happen. Why should we entrust him with a fourth term?

Clubs are owed prize money across all the competitions, while regions are owed grants. How is the situation going to change under the same incumbent?

How does the incumbent stand for elections while facing criminal charges?

What is the status of Fun Valley, which took a large chunk of the legacy funds with the promise to turn it into a world-class technical centre? The place is nothing close to a technical centre but a shebeen which doesn’t even make money. This scam of a place continues to bleed the association's money. We haven’t forgotten that Fortico, which was politically aligned, stole December monies last year and nothing was done.

A lot is wrong with the security contract. The current company was appointed without any tender or procurement process; it was hand-picked. The question is: who is the beneficiary?

20/12/2025

It Will make sense one day.

11/12/2025

SAFOCA MEDIA STATEMENT

SAFA’S HYPOCRISY AND LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY MUST END.

For years, SAFA.net - South African Football Association has told clubs that arbitration is the absolute last resort and that internal remedies must first be exhausted. Yet today, the very same SAFA bypasses its own processes and rushes club matters to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Zurich. This is blatant inconsistency and incompetence. SAFA must be called to order without further delay.

Tankiso Modipa is neither “SAFA.net” nor untouchable. He does not have carte blanche to do as he pleases.

He must be firmly reminded that when the late Solomon “Stix” Morewa, Ishmael Bhamjee, and other founding members established SAFA, they did so with the clear intention of building a formidable, principled, and resilient organisation — not a personal fiefdom where individuals can act with impunity.

SAFOCA will not stand by while the legacy of our football forefathers is trampled upon.

Issued by South African Football Clubs Association
11 December 2025

08/12/2025

SAFOCA MEDIA STATEMENT – 8 December 2025

The South African Football Clubs Association welcomes the decision of the Western Cape High Court to interdict the upcoming Sasol League National Playoffs.

The High Court’s ruling underscores the need for due process and adherence to the established regulations governing the competition. SAFOCA acknowledges the concerns raised by the Western Cape Sasol League clubs and reaffirms its commitment to a fair and transparent national football structure.

SAFOCA will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that the integrity of the game is upheld and that the interests of clubs are protected.

South African Football Clubs Association

09/03/2026

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