Signs of acrimony are starting to emerge in the First Division South Football Association (FDSFA) ahead of the anticipated election of new office bearers scheduled for the end of this month.
The FDSFA current committee’s two year term of office expires at the end of the season and candidates are already jostling for positions. With news that current FDSFA chairperson Sam Keitireng will not seek a fresh mandate from the committee after leading the association for six years, a dirty electioneering war is said to have been set in motion.
The position of chairperson is often the one that usually attracts more attention because the person who is elected to lead the league will also sit in the BFA national executive committee.
FDSFA, secretary general, Sydney Magagane is eyeing the top post after serving the committee for six years. According to sources Magagane will be competing against Green Lovers chairperson Solomon Ramochotlhwane.
A source who spoke to this publication indicated that Ramochotlhwane’s standing for elections in the FDSFA is politically driven.
“It is true he (Ramochotlhwane) is wanted by the current BFA leadership who see Magagane as anti BFA regime. Magagane is seen as a loose cannon as he is not a man to shy away from expressing his views even if unpopular,” said the source.
To counter such, it is alleged that a certain BFA employee whose post was one of the newly created, is being used to coordinate a campaign at regional structures so that the BFA leader can have maximum support across all structures.
Though Magagane is alleged to be out of favour with the BFA leadership, he is said to have support from first division teams as they believe he has institutional memory to advance the programmes of first division south well.
“As the secretary general he was basically running the league and he knows the dos and don’ts in terms of football administration. He is seen as a neutral person and during his tenure as secretary he did not have issues with teams” said the source.
Ishmael Modise who is the current deputy chairperson is also said to be interested in leading the league as its chairperson while Tico Kamati will contest for the position of secretary general.
