Safa to fire Nonkonyana

SUSPENDED SA Football Association (Safa) vice- president Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana will be dismissed tomorrow following a unanimous decision by the football body.

Safa holds its annual general congress at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg tomorrow and Eastern Cape-born Nonkonyana's dismissal is on the agenda.

But Nonkonyana will not go quietly. He was planning yesterday to go to court to stop the general congress from taking place.

If that fails, he will seek an interdict to have his dismissal removed from the agenda.

Tough-talking Safa executive committee member Xolile Komphela said Nonkonyana had no business going to court and should accept his fate.

"Nonkonyana is out of order," Komphela said.

"Nonkonyana was elected by a Safa congress and cannot now try to stop the same congress that elected him from discussing him.

"More importantly, our issues cannot be taken to a court of law until all internal processes have been exhausted."

Fifa normally frowns upon football disputes going to the courts, and Safa decided he had crossed an irreversible line by continuing to go the legal route during his suspension.

Nonkonyana could not be reached for comment yesterday and did not return messages left on his cellphone.

The controversial official has been at loggerheads with his colleagues since becoming vice-president in September last year and exasperated Safa national executive committee members finally met a few days ago to decide his fate.

"His fate is sealed and it is now only a matter of ratifying the decision at the general congress," another committee member said.

Nonkonyana has been accused of disregarding the Safa communications policy after he said in print, radio and television interviews that former Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund should quit if the national team failed to reach the final of the African Nations Championships in January this year.

He was suspended in October last year and was asked not to comment in the media again.

However, he defiantly called a media briefing in August and pleaded with Safa to take him back into the fold.

Nonkonyana's ascension to the vice-presidency itself was not without controversy as he was nominated to serve as deputy to both presidential candidates – Danny Jordaan and Mandla Mazibuko – in the weeks leading up to the Safa elections in September last year.

He was guaranteed to serve as vicepresident no matter who won the race and he duly took up his seat as one of Safa president Jordaan's righthand men after the elections.

It was his penchant for making outrageous remarks that cut short his stay in the job.

After his suspension by Safa, he was also asked to step down as chairman of the African Nations Championship organising committee

He was replaced by Molefi Oliphant in December.

Safa's financials will also be on the agenda tomorrow and chief executive Dennis Mumble will report a R10-million profit after reversing the R46-million deficit from the previous financial year. - Mninawa Ntloko