Danny Jordaan’s SA Football Association (Safa) election as president was dealt a blow on Tuesday when Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana filed court papers to interdict the association’s four-yearly congress scheduled for March 24 from going ahead.
Nonkonyana submitted an interdict to the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday to force the association to conclude his case that saw him being suspended and removed as vice-president of the association.
In the papers, Nonkonyana says he wants the Safa congress scheduled to take place later this month declared inconsistent with Safa statutes and, as such, illegal.
Nonkonyana, who is also the chairman of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders, wants Safa’s decision to appoint the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to conduct the elections at the congress declared null and void, saying it was also inconsistent with the association’s statutes.
He also wants the costs of the application paid by Safa.
Nonkonyana told the Daily Dispatch that all he wanted was justice to be served by him being reinstated to his position.
“Firstly, I was cleared and my suspension was supposed to have been lifted, but then Safa defied its own disciplinary committee and did not do that.
“And I had to go to court in order to force them to adhere to the (Safa) constitution because their own disciplinary committee (DC) ruled that I hadn’t done anything wrong, and then the same association defies its own DC.
Nonkonyana said the association had been raising technical issues to frustrate him hence he had decided to approach the courts.
“As such they decided to move the congress that was supposed to have been held in September forward to March.
“Well knowing that my case was going to be finalised on the January 28, they decided to postpone my case on the very same day.
“All that was done to frustrate me so that they could have the congress before my case is finalised. They raised a technicality that says I’m not eligible to be the president of Safa.
“Because I was removed by the congress, knowing that the case is still pending I had no option but write a letter of demand to them on Friday to say they must postpone this congress on the grounds that it’s not constitutional in its convention.”
Nonkonyana said he hoped his case would be finalised in court by next Tuesday.
Safa spokesperson Dominic Chimhavi said the association had submitted opposing papers through their head of legal department, Tebogo Motlanthe.
“We’ve filed our opposing papers for the congress to go ahead. Normally towards an elective congress these are the challenges which you come across.
“That’s why we have the elective congress after every four years. This is something we expected and it’s a normal process.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” said Chimhavi.
Nonkonyana in legal bid to keep candidacy alive
Nonkonyana submitted an interdict to the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday to force the association to conclude his case that saw him being suspended and removed as vice-president of the association.
In the papers, Nonkonyana says he wants the Safa congress scheduled to take place later this month declared inconsistent with Safa statutes and, as such, illegal.
Nonkonyana, who is also the chairman of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders, wants Safa’s decision to appoint the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to conduct the elections at the congress declared null and void, saying it was also inconsistent with the association’s statutes.
He also wants the costs of the application paid by Safa.
Nonkonyana told the Daily Dispatch that all he wanted was justice to be served by him being reinstated to his position.
“Firstly, I was cleared and my suspension was supposed to have been lifted, but then Safa defied its own disciplinary committee and did not do that.
“And I had to go to court in order to force them to adhere to the (Safa) constitution because their own disciplinary committee (DC) ruled that I hadn’t done anything wrong, and then the same association defies its own DC.
Nonkonyana said the association had been raising technical issues to frustrate him hence he had decided to approach the courts.
“As such they decided to move the congress that was supposed to have been held in September forward to March.
“Well knowing that my case was going to be finalised on the January 28, they decided to postpone my case on the very same day.
“All that was done to frustrate me so that they could have the congress before my case is finalised. They raised a technicality that says I’m not eligible to be the president of Safa.
“Because I was removed by the congress, knowing that the case is still pending I had no option but write a letter of demand to them on Friday to say they must postpone this congress on the grounds that it’s not constitutional in its convention.”
Nonkonyana said he hoped his case would be finalised in court by next Tuesday.
Safa spokesperson Dominic Chimhavi said the association had submitted opposing papers through their head of legal department, Tebogo Motlanthe.
“We’ve filed our opposing papers for the congress to go ahead. Normally towards an elective congress these are the challenges which you come across.
“That’s why we have the elective congress after every four years. This is something we expected and it’s a normal process.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” said Chimhavi.
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