South African Football Association (SAFA) National Executive Committee member and Save Our SAFA (SOS) national convenor Lebogang Riet has called on SAFA branches and regions to unite behind AmaZulu FC chairman Sandile Zungu in the battle to bring change to the country’s football governing body.
Riet is one of the leading figures in the SOS movement, which has identified Zungu as its preferred candidate to challenge incumbent SAFA president Danny Jordaan at the association’s upcoming elective congress.
Zungu, a businessman and the chairman of AmaZulu, officially launched his campaign in Johannesburg in July, promising to focus on good governance, integrity, grassroots development and schools football.
Riet says the campaign is not simply about replacing one individual with another, but about changing the direction of SAFA.
Speaking during Zungu’s campaign launch, Riet said SOS had initially considered four potential presidential candidates before deciding to rally behind one candidate to avoid splitting the opposition vote.
The four candidates considered by SOS were Zungu, former Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe, Kaizer Chiefs marketing director Jessica Motaung and former SAFA NEC member Gladwyn White.
According to Riet, the group eventually concluded that Zungu was the candidate best positioned to deliver the vision it had developed for SAFA.
“We have to accept that when we are divided as regions, or three or four candidates come up, we are actually working for the same thing but splitting votes,” Riet said.
He also claimed that some SAFA regions supporting change were facing pressure ahead of the elections.
Riet alleged that regions were being victimised because of their positions on proposed changes within SAFA, while some regions that attempted to remain neutral were also under pressure.
“Those of us who stand on this side have clubbed together, we can stand up for each other, we can protect each other,” he said.
The SOS campaign has attracted support from several prominent figures in South African football.
Former Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe has withdrawn from the presidential race and thrown his weight behind Zungu. Radebe was also present at Zungu’s campaign launch.
SAFA Cape Town chairperson and SAFA vice-president Bennett Bailey has also backed Zungu after initially entering the presidential race himself. Bailey said he decided to change his strategy after hearing Zungu’s vision for the future of South African football.
Other figures associated with Zungu’s campaign include Inkosi Malusi Zondi, who has been actively campaigning for support in KwaZulu-Natal, and Professor Musa Xulu, who has also spoken positively about Zungu’s leadership qualities and business experience.
Riet has meanwhile insisted that there is significant dissatisfaction within SAFA’s structures, claiming that many regions privately support the SOS campaign even if they are reluctant to publicly declare their position.
His comments come amid an increasingly heated battle for control of SAFA, with Zungu emerging as the strongest challenger to Jordaan, who has been president since 2013 and is seeking another term.
SAFA elections date
The SAFA elective congress is scheduled for 12 September 2026, when delegates will elect the association’s president and National Executive Committee for the next term.
There has, however, been some conflicting reporting over the date, with one report referring to September 13. The latest sources cited above identify September 12, 2026 as the scheduled date.
The election is expected to be closely contested because, unlike previous contests, Jordaan faces a prominent challenger with the backing of a number of influential football administrators and former players.
The Zungu camp has also claimed to have strong support among SAFA’s regions, although the size of that support remains disputed. For example, SAFA Sedibeng has publicly declared its support for Jordaan, with regional officials claiming that the 52 SAFA regions are divided between the Football Transformation Forum (FTF), which supports Jordaan, and SOS, which backs Zungu.
For Riet and his SOS colleagues, the September congress represents an opportunity to reshape the administration of South African football.
The focus will now shift to the 52 regions and their delegates as the two camps intensify their campaigns ahead of the vote.
With Riet calling for unity behind Zungu, the SOS campaign is hoping that its message of governance reform, accountability, grassroots development and a new direction for SAFA will convince enough delegates to end Jordaan’s long reign and hand the organisation to the AmaZulu chairman.
