Former SAFA vice-president Ria Ledwaba has sent a strong message to Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana legend Doctor Khumalo, insisting he must try to unite Mzansi’s soccer legends to change South African football.
Ledwaba was talking at an event, where attorney Leslie Sedibe had confirmed that SAFA’s lifetime ban of Ledwaba, who the association had declared a “persona non-grata” earlier in March, had been lifted by SAFA.
Ledwaba and Solly Mohlabeng were running for Presidency in the 2022 elections against Dr. Danny Jordaan, but Jordaan went on to receive 186 of the votes from the executive committee while Ledwaba and Mohlabeng received 27 and eight votes, respectively.
However, the former owner of Ria Stars has once again insisted she will not be silenced and continue her fight for the betterment of SA football.
“I will not be silenced, I will stand up,” she said on Wednesday.
“I’m not standing uo because I’m Ria Ledwaba, I’m standing up for football. The fight that I put here, the fight of the legends… it should not stop with me and they should not fight the same fight I’m fighting.
“At the furneral of Siphiwe Mkhonza – Mkhonza was my son because he played for Ria Stars, he lived where I lived, he played for my team – I said to legends and I will say it again, Doc [Khumalo]: ‘The legends of this country have got the power to change the status quo in SAFA but you can only do it if you are united.
“This thing of you not being united, divided, being called – Doctor you are being called to the office and [asked] ‘Doctor, tell me which position do you want, which national team you want to coach?’ It must stop!”
Ledwaba also insisted the legends like Khumalo must unite and stand up against the current SAFA leadership.
“Only the legends can take school sports to the level that we want, only you Doctor,”
“If you are not standing up and be counted, you will remain where you are, you will remain complaining all the time.”
The drama around Ledwaba comes just days after the Hawks raided SAFA house in a search and seizure regarding fraud and theft allegations against Jordaan, which has resulted in CAF also requesting clarity from SAFA as to what is going on.
Meanwhile, Danny Jordaan is currently in Algeria with the national team.
