SAFA Elections 2026: Zungu alleges vote-buying ahead of Jordaan showdown in Midrand

SAFA votes in Midrand Saturday as Zungu accuses Jordaan camp of vote‑buying, barring regions, with bonuses and VAR unresolved.

TQ CORRESPONDENT

Midrand will be noisy on Saturday. Not with vuvuzelas, but with whispers, threats and alleged financial inducements.

The South African Football Association holds its elective congress in Midrand, where 52 regions and associates will cast around 265 votes. On paper it is a simple contest: incumbent Danny Jordaan, 75, chasing a fourth term after 13 years, against businessman and AmaZulu owner Sandile Zungu, 59, promising a new dawn.

On the ground it is anything but simple. At the Maslow Hotel in Sandton on Monday, Zungu accused the Jordaan camp of dirty tricks — regions that back change being barred from congress, legends disqualified, and money offered over the weekend to sway votes.

Brave Face

We are putting on a brave face, but we are seething with anger, Zungu said. Our legends here have been disqualified unjustly. The era of monkey tricks is over.

Jordaan has kept silent. His allies have not. In KwaZulu-Natal — Zungu's own province and the biggest with 11 regions — chair Kwenza Ngwenya said Jordaan has already won and that Zungu does not have experience inside SAFA structures. At least seven KZN regions are aligned to Jordaan's Football Transformation Forum.

Zungu says his numbers are quiet but real, at least 28 regions, and that some supporters are pretending to sing for the other side to survive until voting day. He has warned of court action if barred delegates do not make it to the hall.

Whoever wins inherits a federation limping. Bafana Bafana bonuses after the 2026 World Cup are still unpaid a month later, a familiar pain for Banyana Banyana. Zungu warned that if it is not settled by Thursday, those responsible should consider themselves fired under him.

Waiting For VAR

VAR is still a promise. Treasury set aside R20-million, Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie is frustrated, and South African football is still refereed by the naked eye while the world checks a screen.

Local football associations are collapsing, referees are not professionalised, and women's leagues are underfunded despite Banyana Banyana being one-time African champions. Development is an afterthought.

Zungu says fix governance because we want to win the World Cup. Jordaan says the car is not broken, pointing to improved national teams and new sponsors, even as he faces a court case and allegations of financial mismanagement.

On Saturday, Midrand will choose a president. On Sunday, a girl in Umlazi will still wait for a proper coaching clinic, a woman referee for a professional contract, and a Bafana player for a bonus that should have landed a month ago.

That is the daunting task the winner cannot buy his way out of. TQ