South African Referees Suspended Over Bribery Allegations and Misconduct

• The South African Football Association (SAFA) Vhembe region in the Limpopo province has suspended six match officials amid different allegations
• The SA football governing body took the decision in a move to crack down on match-fixing in all divisions in South African football
• The association released the names of the referees who have been banned and when the suspension would take effect

The South African Football Association, Vhembe region in Limpopo, has taken a bold step in a move to work against alleged corruption in football, by suspending six referees over accusations of bribery solicitation and other serious breaches of conduct.

The officials have each been handed four-match suspensions for various infractions, including allegedly demanding bribes and unlawfully inflating match-related fees for clubs.

SAFA suspends six referees

According to the report, the SAFA Vhembe secretary, Sam Matodzi, sent an official message across to all the affected referees on Monday, May 4, 2026, and the address was reviewed.

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The disciplinary cases are linked to fixtures in the provincial SAFA Hollywoodbets Men’s Regional League within the region.

According to Matodzi, the decision followed consultations with the Refereeing Sub-Committee, which found the officials guilty of violating SAFA regulations, requesting bribes, and disregarding official rulings during recent matches.

He further noted that their behaviour had “undermined the credibility of the competition and posed a serious threat to the league’s reputation.”

South African referees suspended by SAFA

According to FARPost, Khuthama Madala was penalised for his role in the match between Daniel Mubva FC and Tshikhwani Stone Breakers, with failure to properly apply the rules cited as the reason for his suspension.

Ronewa Managa received a suspension for misconduct and unprofessional behaviour during the encounter between Shonisani FC and Duthuni Try Again.

Felicia Rikhotso was also banned for four matches after being accused of overcharging teams and ignoring match rulings in the game involving Madrtias and Matangari Rising Stars.

Cyril Matela was initially suspended for allegedly requesting bribes during the fixture between Shilumani Training Academy and Ndiitwani Shooting Stars.

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However, it later emerged that Matela may have been wrongly identified, as investigations revealed he was not present at the match. The association has since reversed its suspension decision.

Ronewa Sigebe and Livhuwani Mbasigidi were both suspended for failing to enforce regulations and disregarding match decisions.

The suspensions officially took effect on Monday, 4 May 2026.

It was recently reported that the world football governing body has introduced a new rule allowing referees to issue red cards to players who leave the pitch in protest against an official’s decision.

The rule change appears to be a response to the AFCON 2025 final, which was halted for more than 15 minutes after Senegal’s players walked off in protest against the referee’s decision to award hosts Morocco a penalty.

Senegal later won the match but has since been stripped of the title, with the trophy being awarded to Morocco instead.

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Source: Briefly News