Sascoc president Barry Hendricks has refused to respond to accusations of double standards levelled against him by Safa national executive member Gladwyn White over the sports confederation’s alleged failure to act against the football governing body.
Last week, White penned two letters – one addressed to Hendricks and another to sports minister Gayton McKenzie – accusing the two offices of protecting the rot at Safa House while intervening swiftly in other federations, such as netball and Athletics SA.
But when contacted by Sowetan on Thursday, Hendricks denied any letter had been sent to him. While acknowledging having seen it, he claimed it had instead been addressed to the minister’s office only. “The minister [McKenzie] must respond – our position is clear on this. The letter was not addressed to me,” he said before stating he would “end this call”.
But Sowetan has seen the 16-page letter dated November 7 and addressed to Hendricks under the subject line: Sascoc’s selective intervention and deafening silence on Safa’s governance crisis.
The other letter addressed to McKenzie – also dated November 7 – has a subject line reading: Urgent concerns regarding governance, financial mismanagement and administrative failures at Safa.
In both letters, White details what he says is wrong with Safa and calls for a forensic investigation into its affairs. He alleged Safa operates without a budget and that regions are owed more than R68m in unpaid grants for the past three years, while accusing Sascoc of “remaining silent despite criminal charges against president Danny Jordaan, CFO Gronie Hluyo and former acting CEO Russel Paul”.
“Mr Hendricks, you achieved financial stability at Sascoc; you secured major sponsorship. You delivered clean audits. So why do you remain silent when Safa exhibits the opposite of everything you achieved?” White asked.
He cited Sascoc’s intervention at Netball SA and ASA as examples of the confederation holding federations accountable.
“Your policy of non-interference is selectively applied. You remain silent when the federation president is politically connected and has powerful allies. This is not a principled non-interference. This is selective cowardice. Safa, with arrested leadership and financial collapse, receives no Sascoc intervention, while ASA’s credit card misuse and Netball SA’s governance problems receive your active engagement.”
White also alleged that Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis, who’s yet to sign a new contract, was on the verge of being dismissed and had been offered a “poverty contract”.
Attempts to reach McKenzie’s office for comment were not successful.
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