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Safa's R2.5m bonus makes waves
04/12/2007 13:24 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Safa's R2.5 million "Christmas Bonus" to it's national executive and a corresponding amount to some of the top brass in the regional structures has begun to make waves because some of the mother body's 52 regions are still struggling financially.
Kick Off's Luxolo Mantambo reports that the "token of appreciation" payout means each member of the Safa NEC will pocket around R125 000 before Christmas for their part in bringing the 2010 World Cup to South Africa. Only members who served Safa between 2001 and 2005 stand to benefit financially.
Regional executive members who served during that period are also to get a cash handout.
All this comes against a backdrop of a national body still to decide on increasing grants for some of its cash-strapped regions. Lack of finance retards development of the game at grassroots level.
Safa increased its regions from 25 two years ago to 52 during the demarcation restructuring process and the national body have yet to shore up permanent structures in the expanded format.
Strongly defended
Safa hands each region a meagre R150 000 per year, an amount which falls far short of meeting the needs of bigger regions.
Safa chief executive Raymond Hack, however, has strongly defended the payout decision, claiming it was justified considering the work done by the Safa NEC in securing the rights for the 2010 tournament.
But why Safa were awarding themselves before any revenue is generated by the World Cup?
Hack said it was a unanimous decision by the national NEC.
"My job is to implement policy. I don't make nor pass recommendations. I'm an employee of Safa. I'm not elected here. So you can't ask me why the elected executive took that decision," said Hack.
"A committee was set up to investigate this and it came up with the recommendation we should set this amount (R2.5m) aside as a (token of) gratitude to members for their sterling work."
The Safa CEO said the executive had earned the money because of their hard work during the 2010 bid.
Dogging regions
The Mdantsane-based official Ace Kika, who was an NEC member during that period, is also set to receive R125000.
Safa have indicated that they were mindful of the issues dogging the regions.
Safa Director of Communications Morio Sanyane on Monday admitted there were problems in some regions, but promised the NEC was looking at it.
"The NEC is aware that there are financial problems in some regions and we have revisited the issue of grants which we feel are inadequate for some regions. These are the challenges with the new demarcation," said Sanyane.
Sanyane refused to comment on why Safa were not considering diverting funds to regions and introducing a functional and competent development league rather than fork out cash to individuals.
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