Zungu Declares SAFA Presidential Ambitions, But Eligibility Hurdles Loom
South African Football Association (SAFA) presidential hopeful Sandile Zungu says his top priority, if elected, will be to make Bafana Bafana the number one national team on the African continent.
According to his manifesto, Zungu, who is the president of Betway Premiership side AmaZulu, aims to position South Africa among the top three performing football nations in Africa across all competitive levels.
The SAFA presidential nomination window opened on 13 June and will close on 29 July.
This leaves interested parties with a tight window to lobby regional structures for votes. By officially throwing his hat into the ring, Zungu is now permitted to cross-country campaign.
However, launching a campaign now may be deemed too late to garner enough nationwide support ahead of the elective congress in September.
While he appears to have consolidated solid support in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal, breaking into other regions will prove a steep climb.
The Statutory Challenge
As things stand, Zungu is the only candidate preparing to challenge incumbent SAFA President Danny Jordaan. Despite his ambitions, severe question marks loom over the legitimacy of his candidacy.
Under current SAFA statutes, any presidential challenger must have served within SAFA structures for a minimum of 10 consecutive years. Furthermore, the regulations strictly prohibit active Premier Soccer League (PSL) club owners from contesting the presidency.
This constitutional amendment, passed a few years ago, effectively barred top-flight club bosses from vying for SAFA’s highest office.
Critics at the time argued the amendment heavily favored Jordaan, who subsequently secured re-election in June 2022. First elected in 2013, Jordaan is now chasing a fourth and final term in office.
“South Africa must be number one”
Addressing regional members at a Durban hotel briefing over the past few days, Zungu remained defiant, focusing squarely on his development-driven manifesto.
“Given all the resources we have, I want South Africa to be the number one team on the continent,” Zungu stated.
“This applies to our football, our infrastructure, and our development pipelines. South Africa has to comfortably sit in the top three on the continent in terms of performance at the national team level.
“We have to be highly intentional about developing raw talent and creating clear pathways for players to move abroad. When we do that, everything else will come together. Football is a powerful weapon for social cohesion. Once football begins to thrive on the pitch, corporate sponsorships will naturally follow.”
The Battle for the Regions
Despite Zungu’s optimism, the road to the presidency looks incredibly difficult. Speaking anonymously to Sportswire, a SAFA National Executive Committee (NEC) member and KZN regional president revealed that Jordaan’s grip on power remains firm.
According to the official, seven out of the eleven regions in KZN still intend to vote for Jordaan. The source added that the regions currently see no viable successor to Jordaan, expressing hope that a capable leader will only emerge by the 2030 election cycle.
Ultimately, Zungu’s political fate rests with the SAFA governance and vetting committees. They must rule on whether his previous administrative stint on the SAFA Remuneration Committee (REMCO) is enough to satisfy the strict eligibility criteria.
