“Heads Must Roll!” – Furious Sports Deputy Minister Blasts SAFA Over Bafana World Cup Visa Gaffe
Deputy Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Peace Mabe says the government is “shocked” and “angry” at the South African Football Association (SAFA), following a spectacular administrative failure that left Bafana Bafana stranded in Johannesburg on Sunday ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
SAFA confirmed that because they failed to secure travel visas for all players and backroom staff, the team’s scheduled flight to Mexico had to be canceled.
While the association quickly called an emergency committee meeting on Sunday to address the crisis, a Sportswire source firmly blamed outgoing Bafana Bafana team manager Vincent Tseka for the allegedly logistical gaffe.
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie later clarified that while all 23 players have now successfully received their visas, the paperwork remains outstanding for critical support staff, including the assistant coach, team doctor, head of security, and the match analyst. McKenzie assured the public that a chartered flight has been arranged to transport the players to Mexico on Monday.
However, a furious Mabe went a step further during an interview with eNCA, effectively accusing soccer house of dishonesty, noting that international travel logistics dictate that documentation must be cleared well in advance.
“It is shocking and embarrassing,” Mabe told eNCA.
“It shows that the center is not holding at SAFA. If you are tasked with a responsibility of this magnitude, you need to execute it with absolute due diligence.
“The fact that they successfully navigated the team through qualifiers to reach the World Cup, only to fail at the final hurdle due to a simple administrative issue, completely erases their hard work. We are deeply unhappy about what has transpired, and we want to know why this was kept a secret. You cannot logically finalize international travel arrangements without a visa; it is a basic administrative rule.
“They should have used their brains and thought outside the box,” Mabe continued. “They should have processed visa applications for the entire preliminary squad pool months ago. Why wait until the final squad announcement to start the process?”
Mabe expressed deep concern over the mental toll and financial repercussions this disruption would have on the squad’s high-stakes tournament preparation, bluntly adding that heads must roll at SAFA.
“We are not happy. There are massive financial implications to canceling flights, and this can negatively impact the psychological state of the players,” she warned.
“My message to the players is: do not despair, and do not let this damp your spirits.
“But as for the administrators, people must be held accountable. If junior officials are not answerable to their seniors, it proves there is no leadership. We really need a complete review, both as South Africans and through FIFA. SAFA needs to be transparent and tell the country exactly what went wrong. Are they protecting incompetent friends in these departments? What led to this? We want accountability, and if it means heads must roll, let it be. If we don’t hold people responsible, they will continue to commit these entirely avoidable, foolish mistakes over and over again.”
Bafana Bafana, drawn in Group A, are scheduled to open the global showpiece against co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on 11 June.
The tournament, played across Mexico, Canada, and the United States, will run until 19 July.
