Has Danny Jordaan finally reached the end of the road following his arrest?

Dr Danny Jordaan at the provincial funeral service of Stanley Tshabalala (75) at Grace Bible Church on July 18, 2024 in Soweto, South Africa. It is reported that the soccer legend was shot in a break-in at his home on March 20. He succumbed to the injuries last Thursday in the hospital. (Photo: Gallo Images / OJ Koloti)

By Yanga Sibembe

13 Nov 2024

The South African Football Association president was arrested on Wednesday on charges of fraud and theft.

Despite his best efforts to avoid the action, South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan has been arrested on charges of fraud and theft amounting to R1.3-million.

The 73-year-old administrator was arrested alongside Safa’s chief of finance, Gronie Hluyo, and a 46-year-old businessman.

The Hawks raided Safa’s Nasrec headquarters in March 2024, seizing a number of items as part of the swoop. Jordaan said the raid was “illegal and unlawful”. It seems that during that process the Hawks secured enough evidence to build a solid case against Jordaan and his co-accused.

“The allegations are that between 2014 and 2018, the president of Safa used the organisation’s resources for his personal gain, including hiring a private security company for his personal protection and a public relations company without authorisation from the Safa board,” said Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale.

“Warrants… issued for the arrest of two prominent South African Football Association executive officers, aged 73 and 55, together with a 46-year-old businessman, were executed this morning, 13 November 2024, following an intensive investigation by the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation based in Johannesburg into allegations of R1.3-million fraud and theft.”

Danny Jordaan at the provincial funeral service for soccer legend Stanley Tshabalala (75) at Grace Bible Church in Soweto on 18 July 2024. (Photo: Gallo Images / OJ Koloti)

The charges

In a brief court appearance at Palm Ridge, Jordaan pleaded not guilty to the charges . All three were granted bail of R20 000 each.

The Hawks’ March operation was as a result of criminal charges laid by Willie Mooka – a former NEC member – in 2020. His actions led to his departure from South Africa’s football mother body.

Mooka said it had never been his intention to bring criminal charges against Jordaan. However, he had to explore that avenue when Jordaan and his loyalist NEC executives frustrated internal processes to investigate claims of theft and malfeasance.

“We took that step because we… were convinced that Safa was being turned into a milk cow for personal gain by those who wield power,” Mooka said.

“We could not keep silent when such an important sports body was being run down and its reputation smudged by theft allegations.”

Read Daily Maverick’s in-depth coverage of the issue:

Safa president Danny Jordaan submits warning statement to the Hawks after financial misdemeanour claims

PwC quit, twice, and Safa millions questionably and possibly unlawfully supported Jordaan & Hluyo

Secrecy cloaks 2010 Fifa World Cup Legacy Trust after Danny Jordaan may have been caught in a lie

In spite of numerous allegations against him over the years, Jordaan has stubbornly maintained his innocence. He has insinuated in the past that his biggest critics are former members of the association who are bitter.

Recently, an anonymous document which makes a number of damning accusations in terms of how Safa is run, has been circulated to media publications. Many of the issues flagged in the document are not new, including the matter of financial mismanagement for which Jordaan has been arrested.

The document also cites the issue of Banyana Banyana players battling the organisation over their remuneration before the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup, where they reached the round of 16.

The players were threatened with bans for their actions and it took external intervention from the Motsepe Foundation for the impasse to be resolved, with the organisation filling the financial deficit between the players and the association.

The author/s of the document said this incident was an example of poor internal conflict resolution. Furthermore, the document alleges that several of Safa’s standing committees have collapsed on Jordaan’s watch.

On 8 November Safa convened a press conference where it sought to dismiss the contents of the document.

“We have noted that there are certain individuals who are continuing to damage the Safa brand, and they are using certain media platforms to wage this war and smear the names and reputations of our members. The campaign has noticeably picked up in the last few weeks and enough is enough,” Tankiso Modipa, head of Safa’s safety and security protocol committee, said.

They said the leaks also pose a huge risk to the operations of the association, its finances, sponsors and the safety of their members. They said they would “deal harshly with those who are found to be involved in the campaign”.

Just a few weeks ago Jordaan, who has been Safa president since 2013, hinted at vying for a fourth term after being re-elected for a third time in 2022.

The three will return to court on 5 December. DM

This article was updated with court developments, which were ongoing at the time of publication.

Categories:

Tags:

DM is much better if you are signed in...

South Africa

The charges