Picture: Ria Ledwaba
By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
5 March – The South African Football Association (SAFA) welcomes the Supreme Court of Appeal’s judgment handed down on 24 February 2026, where the court dismissed with costs, Ria Ledwaba and Solly Mohlabeng’s latest attempt to overturn the SAFA 2022 Presidential electoral outcome.
Ledwaba and Mohlabeng made a special application for leave to appeal in terms of Section 17(2)(f) of the Superior Court’s Act, where they sought the President of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to reconsider the Court’s earlier decision to dismiss their application for leave to appeal.
SAFA CEO, Lydia Manyepao said the court dismissed their special application due to their failure to demonstrate to the court that a refusal of their special leave to appeal would result in grave injustice or would bring the administration of justice into disrepute. Manyepao said the High Court’s ruling in the same matter, which had become the subject of the dispute before the SCA, unequivocally rejected the continued efforts by Ledwaba and Mohlabeng to disrupt the administration of football in South Africa.
“The High Court judgment reinforced the integrity of SAFA’s election processes and served as a clear message against all efforts designed to undermine the Association. With the recent judgment, the SCA simply upheld the same position.
“In October 2022, after suffering a significant defeat in the SAFA Presidential elections, Ledwaba and Mohlabeng sought to overturn the results. They launched an Application at the Pretoria division of the High Court, seeking to invalidate and set aside the election outcome,” she said.
Manyepao further said SAFA opposed the application, standing firm in defense of the rights of the SAFA National Executive Committee members who participated in the voting process and further sought to uphold the SAFA statutes, which govern the election and administration processes. She added that on February 9, 2025, the Pretoria High Court, under Judge Holland-Muter, ruled that the applicants no longer held membership or positions of authority within SAFA structures.
“As such, they had no legal standing to invoke the SAFA Statutes or pursue any disputes under the jurisdiction of SAFA. The court accurately dismissed their application with costs, including costs of two counsels, with one being a senior counsel.
“Undeterred, Ledwaba and Mohlabeng filed for leave to appeal on 21 February 2024, citing misinterpretations of the SAFA Statutes and their submissions. The leave to appeal was heard on 4 December 2024 and on 5 December 2024, the High Court once again ruled against them, confirming that their appeal lacked reasonable prospects of success,” said Manyepao.
She said the court further emphasised that no other court would likely reach a different conclusion and that there were no compelling circumstances justifying consideration by a higher court, including that there is an important point of law that they raised which justify consideration by a higher court. Manyepao said once again, the application for leave to appeal was dismissed with costs, including costs of a senior counsel.
“This marks the sixth time in just three years that Ledwaba and Mohlabeng have failed in their legal attempts to disrupt the Association. Their repeated court defeats underscore their ongoing attempts to distract SAFA from its commitment to develop football in the country.
“SAFA remains resolute in its mission to foster the growth of football, promote social cohesion, and unite the country through the power of the sport. This judgment reaffirms SAFA’s commitment to develop football in South Africa and safeguarding its governance and administration from unwarranted disruptions,” she said.
The Guardian 