Safa NEC scraps R50m debt, but not R8.6 million owed to itself

The South African Football Association’s (Safa) national executive committee (NEC) ruled this past weekend to write off about R50m it owes to its regions‚ but not some R8.6m in honorariums owed to itself.

A Safa NEC meeting on Saturday ruled to write off an amount that varies marginally per its 52 regions‚ but averages at about R1m per region‚ and which has been unpaid for two years‚ Times Select is informed.

Yet the NEC did not write off an honorarium that is also owed‚ but has also been not paid yet by cash-strapped Safa‚ to the NEC members of R120‚000 for the years 2017 and 2018. That amounts to R240‚000 still owed by Safa to its 36 NEC members‚ or a total of R8.64m.

Safa cannot pay that amount at present‚ so it remains a credit. But the regions no longer have the money that is owed to them‚ even as a credit‚ a lack of funding that has potentially affected their day-to-day administration‚ coach education programmes and junior leagues they run.

An honorarium is a payment made for work done on a voluntary basis. It is normally a token payment made as recognition for services rendered‚ and is supposed to be made when an organisation has the money to pay it.

Safa communications director Dominic Chimhavi claimed the honorarium that was not written off was already a 50% reduction‚ but could not explain how.

“That is wrong. The honorarium was actually cut by half. People should tell you the truth. You are being given half-baked stories‚” Chimhavi said.

“They [the NEC] agreed on Saturday that they will be paid half of it – 50%. All your facts are very wrong.”

Asked to elaborate on how the facts were wrong‚ Chimhavi responded: “No‚ because now you write your story from your sources‚ and you will just file your story.”

The NEC members’ honorarium for 2019 was apparently tentatively put on hold at the last Safa annual general meeting in December‚ to be resolved at a special general meeting (SGM) this month‚ but that SGM was derailed by the coronavirus.

The debt to the regions being written off comes when a number of sources have told Times Select that the 18 provincial technical officers (PTOs) installed in the nine SA provinces by technical director Neil Tovey have been removed as a cost-cutting measure.

The sources all expressed concern that the removal of the PTOs – qualified coaches responsible for coaching education and ensuring junior leagues and development initiatives at regional and local football association level run smoothly – will cripple Safa’s development capability.

Chimhavi has denied the PTOs were removed‚ saying new acting CEO Tebogo Motlanthe is negotiating to renew their contracts.

Tovey will not renew his contract at the end of this month.