sportskeeda
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has sanctioned an advance payment of R5 million for the players of Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana, expressing his concern for the players’ financial situations as the festive season draws near.
However, SAFA president Danny Jordaan clarified that the R5 million is an early allocation from the government’s annual R7 million budget for women’s football, intended for the upcoming year’s finances.
There have been assertions that Bafana Bafana players did not receive bonuses from their last two training camps. McKenzie stated his discontent with the idea of players returning to their families without financial assistance during the festive season after having made the nation proud.
This year, Bafana Bafana achieved a bronze medal at the Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast, marking their first medal in 24 years, and they qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, doing so with two matches remaining.
Despite realizing they had secured their position in Morocco’s 2025 finals without competing, Bafana Bafana remained tenacious, winning both of their matches against Uganda (2-0) and South Sudan (3-0). They topped the AFCON qualifying group for the first time since 2014 for the 2015 edition.
“I couldn’t just stand by and let our players remain unpaid during the festive period; we’ve advanced R5 million to be distributed to all Bafana & Banyana players, including their bonuses. We also insisted on a turnaround strategy from SAFA, as our players have made us proud,” he stated.
Sportswire contacted SAFA president Jordaan for updates regarding the association and to determine if the Bafana Bafana players have received their bonuses for qualifying for the AFCON finals.
“I don’t know,” Jordaan responded.
“Ask the CEO (Lydia Monyepao). But I assume they have been compensated.” However, efforts to contact Monyepao were unsuccessful, as her phone rang unanswered.
Jordaan’s influence within the association has waned recently due to ongoing legal challenges. He, along with SAFA CFO Gronie Hluyo and businessman Trevor Neethling, appeared in Palm Ridge magistrate’s court on Tuesday facing fraud and theft charges amounting to R1.3 million.
The group was unable to have their case dismissed, and the matter has been postponed until February 7, 2025.
Previously, Jordaan submitted an urgent application to prevent his arrest and prosecution, but the National Prosecuting Authority dismissed it as flawed, leading to his subsequent arrest. The three individuals were released on R20,000 bail each following their initial court appearance last month.
