Shakes Mashaba’s hearing postponed to December 1
EPHRAIM “Shakes” Mashaba’s disciplinary hearing will now be heard next week after the South African Football Association (Safa) and the suspended Bafana Bafana coach agreed to postpone it to December 1.
Mashaba was supposed to go before his employer’s disciplinary committee on Tuesday‚ but the date was not convenient for both parties.
He will now learn his fate at the beginning of next month and is expected to be sacked by Safa at the conclusion of the proceedings.
Asked to elaborate on the latest development yesterday‚ Safa spokesman Dominic Chimhavi said he could not comment on an internal labour matter.
Mashaba was suspended last Sunday after he furiously wagged his finger at senior Safa officials – who included president Danny Jordaan‚ chief executive Dennis Mumble‚ national executive committee members and other senior Safa employees – after Bafana beat Senegal 2-1 in a 2018 World Cup qualifier at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane 24 hours earlier.
He accused them all of not supporting him in a rant that spilt over to a scheduled SABC television interview that had to be delayed for several minutes to give the enraged Bafana mentor time to calm down.
Mashaba was to fly with his team to Maputo to play a friendly international against Mozambique last Tuesday, but was summoned by his employers.
He was informed of his immediate suspension and it was only then that he apologised for his actions.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has emerged as a strong favourite to succeeded him.
Sundowns billionaire owner Patrice Motsepe has given Safa his blessing and said he will not stand in Mosimane’s way if the football mother body approaches him when the search for Mashaba’s replacement officially begins next month.
A generous Motsepe gave Safa permission to also approach other members of the Pretoria club’s technical team should they also have designs on using them.