Safa’s leading women: Who will it be?

Johannesburg - The Safa special congress held last Saturday agreed to have four vice-presidents, one of them a woman, elected at next year’s elective congress.

“Among a raft of changes approved by the congress were the elections of four Safa vice-presidents, of which one seat must be reserved for a woman, with the other for the chair of the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

“The remaining two would be appointed by the national executive committee in line with CAF statutes,” Safa said in a statement.

This is a step in the right direction as women’s football has grown in the country.

Not eligible to stand

There are currently four women in the Safa executive committee but only three are eligible to assume the higher position.

Acting PSL chief executive Mato Madlala will not be eligible to stand as she was not elected, but seconded, by the league to the Safa executive committee.

This leaves Anastasia Tsichlas, Ria Ledwaba and Nomsa Mahlangu as the three candidates for the post.

At present, Safa has three vice-presidents, PSL chair Irvin Khoza and two elected members, Elvis Shishana and Lucas Nhlapho.

Mahlangu:

She is the only woman to be elected to the committee. The other two were co-opted after the 2013 elections.

Mahlangu works as a senior director: sport at the University of Johannesburg. She has been involved in amateur soccer administration for some time.

She is an executive committee member of University Sport SA and has served Safa as a member of the women’s soccer committee. She was a board member of the Fifa World Cup.

Tsichlas:

The former Mamelodi Sundowns boss has been around the block and has vast experience in local and international football.

Known as the Iron Lady, Tsichlas has served as an executive committee member of the PSL and is now heading the technical committee of Safa. She serves as a CAF match commissioner and on the continental body’s women’s football subcommittee.

Ledwaba:

She is another woman with massive football experience, going back to her days as founder and owner of the now defunct Ria Stars.

Ledwaba is a successful businesswoman who has served as an executive member of the league and is now head of delegation for Bafana Bafana’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.