Safa Cape Town’s president, Bennett Bailey (pictured), has since he took office for a first term in 2018, always been the top dog and face of football in the region.
Bailey’s status in the football echolance was further elevated when he became the righthand man (Vice president) of Safa National’s president, Danny Jordaan – a ‘position’ now occupied by Tankiso Modipa, president of Safa Western Cape.
Not to mention Bailey’s inclusion to Fifa’s anti-racism and anti-discrimination committee back in October last year.
A month later the South African Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) also confirmed his reappointment to their Legal Commission.
So, it’s fair to say that the “Buffalo” as Bailey is called, was always seen as the “People’s Choice” and has enjoyed the majority of support amongst the various LFA’s – the fact that he stood unopposed for two terms already is indicitive of his popularity amongst his member clubs during his reign.
Mind you, Bailey will in all likelihood continue with the ‘trend’ as he is vying for a third term when the elections take place on 12 April at the University of the Western Cape.
And again, he is likely to stand unopposed unless the courts decide otherwise as there has been an objection made by his opposition, Eric Gum, who was discarded as a rival candidate for the election.
Gum’s attorneys are waiting on a response from the Cape’s football Mother body Safa CT pertaining to certain questions raised and requested that the documents be furnished by no later than 23 March so that they can finalize their appeal submission before the deadline on Wednesday (25 March).
That said, a recent chain of events and reports has now painted a different picture, the other side of Bailey and it’s also fair to say that he now divides opinion like never before.
The 66-year-old has certainly raised the eyebrows of many football fans and the broader public as to how he runs his organisation with an iron fist.
Those who challenge him, will experience the wrath of the Buffalo – just ask individuals like Mario Van Niekerk, Nathan Less, Wayne Jones, Ivan Williams and Clive Bailey who have all experienced firsthand what it feels like to cross paths with Bailey.
The most scandalous event to unfold was the unlawful suspension of his former righthand man, comrade, confidant and former treasurer, Wayne Weitz. Now bear in mind that this duo shared a friendship dating back to the dark days of apartheid which was over a half a century old.
Bailey and Weitz stood firm, shoulder-to-shoulder, in defiance of the then apartheid government and with the protest song “We shall not be moved.”
They would rally, strategize and orchestrate protest marches, mobilizing the masses to evoke change – and truth be told their actions along with the many other thousands and thousands of freedom fighters achieved their goal.
With this in mind, it felt timely to revisit the Weitz-saga. No bear in mind, Weitz, the Chairman of Sea Point Swift football club and leader of the Metropolitan LFA was set-up by Bailey and his lackeys after they accused Weitz of mismanagement of the Safa CT’s funds.
The long and short of it is that a DC committee, set up by Bailey’s own organisation found absolutely no wrongdoing. The award reads as follows…
The charges were inadequately supported by a clear standard or consistent evidence;
The respondent successfully highlighted material inconsistencies in the employer’s case;
No formal warnings, guidance, or training were provided, undermining the procedural legitimacy of the allegations;
The suspension and subsequent disciplinary process fell short of fairness.
Accordingly, the allegations of misconduct have not been proven on a balance of probabilities.
The remedy/award of DC also states the following:
The respondent is reinstated to his duties as Treasurer with immediate effect.
SAFA is liable for the respondent’s costs on a party-party scale.
The suspension imposed on the respondent is lifted, and the record must reflect that the respondent has been acquitted of all charges.
SAFA must provide a clear public apology to the respondent.
The panel recommends that SAFA urgently review its Finance Policy to ensure that the responsibilities of office bearers are clearly defined, and that future suspensions are affected only after a fair procedure.
So, the man once seen as a trusted ally by his peers has been so discredited and humiliated that he even lost his livelihood and it’s clear his Bailey took him to the cleaners and left him out to dry.
To top it all off, Safa CT has to date not even apologized for their unconstitutional behaviour as instructed by their own DC Committee.
Which brings to the million dollar question… Why did he not account for his actions as its ben months now? How does one commit such a hideous and callous act to one’s friend? What happened to Bailey’s morals, principles and ethics? Is this the type of hypocrisy Bailey fought for change against the apartheid government?
One is really trying to make sense of this unscrupulous behavior from the numero uno of football in the Mother City?
Not to mention the ongoing legal case between Bailey’s organization and the Sport Stepping Stone Foundation (SSS) who is hellbent to uncover what happened to the proceeds of the Football for Humanity initiative which saw a Palestine national in action on local soil as part of their solidarity to ongoing genocide in the Middle East.
Also not forgetting about the issue where a Safa National Arbitrator declared the decisions of the region’s Electoral Committee unlawful and set them aside after they bungled the assessment of the nominations for election of a new Regional Executive Committee. (REC).
This is the current nature of the beast in the local football landscape – never short of controversy and never a dull moment. Congratulations to all those LFA’s who backed the Buffalo for another term… Just remember, if it can happen to an someone like Weitz, it can happen to anyone and what goes around comes around!
As Jason Jenkins recently stated with his Facebook post: “Every time concerns are raised, they are too easily dismissed as the noise of “disillusioned individuals. But that explanation no longer holds.”
At as partying shot, I’m looking forward to Bailey’s acceptance speech!
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One Response
He tried to put a guardianship on Heideveld L.F.A a couple of years ago and also in that meeting he made a statement that his treasurer Wayne has got no idea of what he is doing.