Disqualified Safa election candidate Nomsa Mahlangu: 'I expected this'

Former SA Football Association (Safa) national executive committee (NEC) member Nomsa Mahlangu, who was deemed ineligible to contest for the presidential elections, has broken her silence regarding her exclusion in the race.

Mahlangu will not be permitted to challenge incumbent Danny Jordaan, Ria Ledwaba and Solly Mohlabeng in the elective congress on June 25.

Mahlangu opened up to TimesLIVE from Nairobi, Kenya where she is attending a universities sports seminar. University Sport SA (USSA) president Mahlangu works for the University of Johannesburg (UJ) as the Sport Senior Director and is a member of the Federation of Africa University Sports.

She was ruled an ineligible candidate on the basis of that she was nominated by USSA and not by a Safa region. USSA is an associate member of Safa.

“They have not informed me of what happened to my nomination. I only saw on websites and social media and I still do not know what transpired,” Mahlangu said.

“I have not received a letter or message from the association. I am going to write to the association and demand an explanation.

“I expected this. In any elections, the incumbent determines the rules of engagement. I am not disappointed, it was expected.

“I am not going to appeal at all. I just want answers on how they arrived at this conclusion. I had two nominations, which I signed. One was for an NEC position. So, I still do not know what happened.

“In football it is not easy to change the minds of the people who vote because it is a foregone conclusion as to whom they are going to vote for. By now they have been swayed and have made up their minds.

“Like I said I am not going to appeal, I have a job at UJ and I can focus on that, not like other Safa members.”

At the press conference on Monday, Safa’s governance committee members said that for candidate to serve on the NEC they have to be nominated by their host region as per article 25.9 of the Safa Statutes.

The association’s governance committee chairperson Victor Mogajane explained that Safa rules stipulate that candidates for the presidency must be chosen by a region.

“Mahlangu was nominated by USSA, and her nomination by USSA was invalid. Association members are only permitted to nominate people for the national executive committee,” Mogajane said.

Disqualified candidates have seven days to appeal with Safa’s ethics committee.

Safa vice-president Ledwaba has served court papers asking that the election be stopped.