Former SAFA CEO Dennis Mumble Alleges Forged Documents Circulated to Favour Danny Jordaan
- Former SAFA CEO Dennis Mumble alleged that fabricated constitutional documents were circulated ahead of the association's presidential election
- The claims emerged one day before SAFA's elective congress, where incumbent Danny Jordaan faces Amazulu FC chairman Sandile Zungu
- SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao had already apologised to the NEC after an incorrect statutory extract was circulated in the lead-up to the vote
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Former South African Football Association CEO Dennis Mumble has alleged that forged documents containing fabricated extracts of SAFA's constitution were deliberately circulated to benefit incumbent president Danny Jordaan ahead of the association's presidential election.
Mumble made the allegation one day before SAFA's elective congress, where Jordaan is set to face businessman and Amazulu FC chairman Sandile Zungu in a contest for the presidency. The claims have not been independently proven, and no court has found that the documents were forged.
SAFA's statute controversy
A separate but related dispute had already emerged in the days leading up to the congress. SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao apologised to the association's National Executive Committee after an incorrect extract of the organisation's statutes was circulated. SABC Sport reported that Monyepao acknowledged the error and issued a formal apology to the NEC.
The disputed extract was significant because its wording reportedly related to Jordaan's nomination process, specifically whether he could be nominated by a region outside his home branch. That issue subsequently prompted a criminal complaint by SAFA NEC member Lebogang Riet. It is worth noting that the existence of an administrative error in the statutory extract does not, on its own, confirm Mumble's more serious allegation that documents were deliberately fabricated.
A broader governance dispute
Mumble's allegation is consistent with wider concerns he has raised about SAFA's governance framework. Before the congress, he argued publicly that the association's constitutional structure creates an imbalance of power and questioned whether the election environment was sufficiently fair. His focus has included the distribution of authority within SAFA and the functioning of the Governance Committee.
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Zungu, for his part, has publicly raised concerns about what he described as "dirty tricks" in the lead-up to the election, while the Mail and Guardian has reported separate allegations involving financial inducements and regional victimisation of delegates.
The election has also attracted legal challenges. Eyewitness News reported on a fresh court application seeking to halt SAFA's elections from proceeding. SAFA has also been involved in a Constitutional Court development involving challenges brought by disgruntled members.
Whether the disputed documents resulted from an administrative oversight, as SAFA indicated regarding the statutory extract, or were part of a deliberate effort to shape the outcome of the election, as Mumble has alleged, remains unresolved ahead of the congress.
Source: Briefly News
