By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South African Football Association (SAFA) has been plunged into a fresh crisis after its first National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the year erupted into chaos.
In a session presided over by SAFA president Danny Jordaan, captured the shocking moment heated verbal exchanges transitioned into pushing and shoving.
The explosive scenes have drawn widespread condemnation, highlighting deep-seated factionalism currently tearing through the heart of South African football governance.
The shameful scenes drew a swift and sharp rebuke from Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie who described the conduct as “hugely embarrassing and shameful.”
In a statement on social media, McKenzie vowed that the government would not stand by while the sport’s reputation is tarnished by its own administrators.
“This is hugely embarrassing and shameful behaviour by the people tasked with running our football,”McKenzie wrote on X. “We will be informing CAF and FIFA of our intention to investigate and take action. We are hard at work bringing corporate sponsorship to SAFA to allow this nonsense.”
His statement reflects a growing impatience with the perennial power struggles at SAFA House.
SAFA attributed the disruption to a small group of individuals and expressed regret that the meeting could not proceed. The organisation reiterated its commitment to preparing national teams for international competition despite the internal turmoil.