Danny Jordaan says he can only raise R10k and pleads to keep his passport

The future of the South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan is hanging in the balance as he faces R1.3 million fraud charges.

Jordaan and his co-accused, Safa chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo and journalist-turned-businessman Trevor Neethling were apprehended yesterday morning.

They later in the day appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Palm Ridge, Johannesburg, where they were all released on R20 000 bail each.

When handing down his ruling on the bail application, Magistrate Phillip Venter said all the evidence provided by the accused in their affidavits which were presented by their lawyers was convincing and verified by the investigating officers.

“The state did not oppose the application for bail. The applicants’ information, including addresses, were verified and confirmed. The court is satisfied with the information given.”

They were ordered to come back to court on 5 December.

Jordaan’s colleagues in courtroom

The trio appeared in court number 10, which was packed to capacity, with several senior Safa members in attendance to support Jordaan.

Among them were Safa chief operating officer Tebogo Motlanthe and CEO Lydia Monyepao. Wearing a dark blue suit and a red and white tie, Jordaan stood with his hands behind his back in the dock.

Jordaan told the court through his lawyer that he intended to plead not guilty and asked that his passport not be surrendered, arguing he does a lot of travelling for work. The court said he could keep his passport – for now.

Venter said: “Accused number three [Hluyo] must hand over the passport. Coming to Jordaan, we will deal with the passport later and the situation might change in future. You must inform authorities 72 hours before travelling.”

As part of his bail conditions, Jordaan will need to make a written request when he wants to travel overseas for work purposes.

The magistrate cautioned him not to use the opportunity to visit friends abroad or to attend to things that were not work-related.

In court, Jordaan seemed tired as he listened to his lawyer reading his bail application affidavit, while Neethling and Hluyo looked relaxed.

ALSO READ: Pressure mounts on Safa president Danny Jordaan to step down

Hawks say Jordaan used resources for himself

The Hawks said the three were arrested yesterday, after a lengthy investigation.

They were charged with fraud after allegedly spending R1.3 million of the association’s funds for Jordaan’s personal benefit.

Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said that from 2014 to 2018, Jordaan allegedly used the organisation’s resources for personal gain, including hiring a private security company for personal protection and a public relations company without the board’s authorisation.

Jordaan and his fellow-accused tried in vain to convince the court that they could only afford R10 000 bail as they didn’t have enough money.

Jordaan said he was not paid by Safa as president but received as much as R100 000 annually, based on Safa’s performance.

ALSO READ: Safa lay complaint against Hawks for ‘unlawful’ raid

Yet Jordaan has millions in assets

His Johannesburg property is valued at R6 million, with a house in the Eastern Cape worth R4 million.

He estimated the fittings and appliances in both homes came to an accumulated R2 million. He has two cars, a Mercedes-Benz and a BMW, worth more than R700 000 collectively.

The hiring of the communications company was to manage Jordaan’s image came after former ANC MP and singer Jennifer Ferguson alleged he had raped her in 2017.

“The president is also reported to have violated Safa statutes, thus prejudicing Safa with an actual loss of R1.3 million,” Mogale said at the time.

All the accused indicated they would plead not guilty to the charges.