Question NW2058 to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
29 June 2023 - NW2058
Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
(1).Please furnish parliament with the letter of resignation from the former chiefexecutive officer(CEO) of the SA football association (SAFA), Mr Teboho Motlanthe, in order to see the reasons why the CEO resigned without notice; if not, why not; if so, on what date;(2) whether SAFA can emphatically state under oath that (a) the so-called Motlanthe resignation letter published in the media is fake and (b) they have not broken the law by planting cameras and listening devices in the former CEO’s office; if not, in each case, why not; if so, what are the relevant details in each case; (3) what (a) is the state of governance in SAFA and (b) is the policy regarding the appointment of a CEO?
Reply:
The following response is provided by South African Football Association (SAFA):
(1). unfortunately, employee relations cannot be discussed with third parties thus we unfortunately cannot furnish Parliament with the resignation letter from the former CEO as requested.
(2)(a). We are not in possession of the so-called Motlanthe resignation letter published in the media. Adv. Motlanthe denied this letter in a press conference held at SAFA House on 8 May 2023 where the media attended in numbers, which was broadcast live to the public. Recordings of that press conference are available from various media houses.
(b). We are also not aware of the cameras and listening devices in the former CEO’s office as stated thus we cannot comment further on the matter.
(3)(a). SAFA has effective governance structures. The National Executive Committee is responsible for policy making and meets regularly. The Secretariat deals with operational issues and is headed by the CEO. SAFA also has independent Committees which are composed of independent persons, and these include Ethics and Integrity Committee, Judicial Committee, Remuneration Committee and Audit Committee.
(b). Our HR policy for any appointment states that “candidates are selected for appointment according to their ability, qualifications and competencies required to fulfil the job requirements, without having regard to discrimination factors, such as race and gender. Internal candidates are given prior consideration for job appointments and only where it is considered that a suitable internal candidate is not available will an external candidate be appointed”.