Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the arrest of South African Football Association (SAFA) President Danny Jordaan, who has been charged with fraud after allegedly misappropriating R1.3 million of the association’s funds for his personal benefit.
Jordaan, along with SAFA Chief Financial Officer Gronie Hluyo, has been treating the association’s finances as their personal chequebooks, reflecting a gross abuse of trust and responsibility.
These new allegations, alongside previous accusations of misconduct, underscore the deep-rooted issues within SAFA’s leadership, raising serious concerns about governance and accountability within the organisation.
The DA has been vindicated, having called on authorities to investigate allegations of misconduct within SAFA for years. This arrest underscores the gravity of the issues we have continuously highlighted, including a lack of accountability and transparency at the highest levels of SAFA’s management.
We believe that Jordaan and Hluyo’s actions have damaged the integrity of SAFA and eroded public trust in South African football. Their alleged misconduct warrants immediate action to restore confidence in SAFA’s leadership. The DA calls for their removal to ensure that SAFA can begin the necessary process of rebuilding itself on a foundation of transparency and ethical management.
Regards
Joe McGluwa MP
DA Spokesperson on Sport, Arts and Culture
MORE:
The 73-year-old administrator was arrested alongside Safa’s chief of finance, Gronie Hluyo, and a 46-year-old businessman.
The Hawks initially raided SAFA’s Nasrec headquarters in March 2024, seizing a number of items as part of the swoop. Jordaan said the raid was “illegal and unlawful”. It seems that during that process the Hawks secured enough evidence to build a solid case against Jordaan and his co-accused.
“The allegations are that between 2014 and 2018, the president of SAFA used the organisation’s resources for his personal gain, including hiring a private security company for his personal protection and a public relations company without authorisation from the SAFA board,” said Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale.
“Warrants… issued for the arrest of two prominent South African Football Association executive officers, aged 73 and 55, together with a 46-year-old businessman, were executed this morning, 13 November 2024, following an intensive investigation by the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation based in Johannesburg into allegations of R1.3-million fraud and theft.”
In spite of numerous allegations against him over the years, Jordaan has stubbornly maintained his innocence. He has insinuated in the past that his biggest critics are former members of the association who are bitter.
Recently, an anonymous document which makes a number of damning accusations in terms of how Safa is run, has been circulated to media publications. Many of the issues flagged in the document are not new, including the matter of financial mismanagement for which Jordaan has been arrested.
Read More at the Daily Maverick: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-11-13-has-danny-jordaan-finally-reached-end-of-the-road-following-arrest/