Ria Ledwaba explains why she gave Safa honorarium money back

SA Football Association (Safa) presidential hopeful Ria Ledwaba says she sent back the money which was paid to the organisation’s executive because she felt they did not deserve it. 

ALSO READ: Morocco finally break Bafana’s resistance to grab win in Afcon opener

Safa recently approved honorarium benefits for its national executive committee which includes its president and the deputies. 

Ledwaba says she first received R20 000 in December which she sent back to Safa in protest as she did not know what it was for.

“The media must start asking questions about the money that’s suddenly being paid to NEC members,” she said on Thabiso Mosia’s Sport On on Thursday evening. “On December 23 we got R20 000 which I sent back. Recently we got R100 000… for what?”

“I gave that money to four (Safa) regions, I gave each R25 000. They deserve it, not us. What did we do because there has been Covid for the past two years,” she explained. 

While many applauded her on social media for refusing to take the payments, others questioned why it was only now that she refused when it has been paid for the longest time.

“She knows very well that honorarium is received yearly. It is misleading of her trying to create an impression that it’s illegal, unlawful or irregular to receive honorarium. It’s been given for the longest time in football,” tweeted Sipho Ngubane on the matter. 

Ledwaba also explained her relationship with current incumbent Danny Jordaan and how it soured after she questioned some of his decisions.

She was at some point removed as vice president but was later reinstalled. She accused Jordaan of using a dictatorship style of governance.

“I’ve never had a good relationship with the president since I was removed as a vice president and later recalled. I still support him as my president at the moment. But there are a lot of things that I don’t agree with and now things are not good (between us). 

“The problem started when I was against the decision to suspend (former) vice president Gay Mokoena. Now look at where all the former vice presidents are, nowhere. There is no succession plan. He wants to do everything himself. You can’t be everywhere at once… You cannot be in Mauritius then in Port Elizabeth  for the Cosafa games.”