Swazi Observer

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MASHUMI TO CHALLENGE SRFA ELECTIONS

By Mthunzi Maziya | 2019-01-12

SOCCER - Five months before they even go to the polls, the Shiselweni Regional Football Association (SRFA) elections seem to be headed for disaster as former Chairman Mashumi Shongwe has vowed to challenge them.

In a wide ranging interview yesterday, Shongwe said he won all his battles in court against the Eswatini Football Association (EFA), and for that reason, expected the EFA to install him and the committee elected in 2016 as the rightful leadership of the SRFA. He said there was no need to order new elections.

Shongwe emphasised that the EFA must do the right thing by handing over the keys to the SRFA offices to him.

“We won the elections fair and square. I do not understand why they want to stage new elections, because we are supposed to serve a four year term. The courts ruled on that, and we are not quiet because we do not know what to do. We want to give them the chance to do the right thing,” he said.

Shongwe added that the EFA illegally stopped a rightfully elected committee from assuming office, and they would not relent in their quest for justice. “Their appeal failed at the Supreme Court. That is the last stage of appeals in the country. The courts found nothing wrong with the 2016 elections, and we demand justice,” he said.

SRFA’s Normalisation Committee’s Secretary Jabulani Dlamini could only confirm that the elections are billed for June. He would not comment on the shenanigans surrounding the process, referring all enquiries to the EFA.

The EFA’s Marketing and Communications Officer, Muzi Radebe, in the absence of CEO Frederick Mngomezulu, and the President Adam ‘Bomber’ Mthethwa, said his office had not yet received correspondence about the SRFA elections.

He said until that happens, it would be difficult for him to comment.

Meanwhile, Shongwe added that his ban by the EFA elapsed when it was ruled illegal by the courts a long time ago. He said he participated in the EFA’s elections in 2017 because his ban carried no force, adding that he was at liberty to do anything he wanted, including taking part in the upcoming elections and challenging them if he loses.

“I will continue to urge them to do the right thing, because until they do so, they are flouting the rules. The EFA must respect the rule of law,” he said.

SRFA’s affiliates are expected to have submitted their nomination forms by the end of March. Given Shongwe’s popularity in the region, it is highly likely that he will be nominated again.

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