Refs’ elections: Simanga Nhleko gets ‘ red card’

MBABANE – Shocker! F o r mer P r e mi e r L e a g u e of Eswatini ( PLE) CEO and then FIFA badge holding referee, Simanga Nhleko has been disqualified from the Eswatini Referees Association ( ERA) Executive Committee elections. Before deferment yesterday, the elections were scheduled for today during the association’s Elective Ass e mbl y a t S i g wac a Hous e , t h e Eswatini Football Association ( EFA) building.

Nhleko had been nominated as one of the Chairman position’s candidates a i mi n g t o t a k e o v e r f r o m S a b e l o Kunene, who is now a member of the EFA Executive Committee. However, after an investigation carried out on hi m t hi s week, t he EFA Ethi c s Committee yesterday announced his disqualification from the elections.

Nhleko was found to have breached t he FIFA Ethi c s Code, Arti c l e 58, which prohibited campaigning from members ahead of the elections. Former ERA Chairman Sabelo Kunene was c onfi r med by t he EFA Et hi c s Committee Chairman, Senior Magi strate Siphosini Dlamini, during a quickly convened press conference at Sigwaca House as the complainant.

“Following a complaint which was filed with the Ethics Committee, we then decided to refer the matter to the investigatory chamber and it had to deliberate on the matter within two days, Wednesday and Thursday. They have given us the report today and the recommendation is that the candidate cannot stand for the elections as he is disqualified,” Dlamini said.

It was after he was questioned by the press that he mentioned names and the nature of the complaint.

“It is no secret. Sabelo Kunene filed the complaint that S. Nhleko was campaigning and the matter was taken up by the Ethics Committee, which convened a meeting on Tuesday and then handed the matter to the investigatory chamber. It was found that Nhleko did campaign,” he explained.

He said that while the Committee was made aware of a WhatsApp text message by one Dr Mensah, who later deleted it and apologised profusely upon learning its impact.

He explained that Mensah was found to have done what he did with his text but he had not been instructed by any of the outgoing executive committee members to do it.

“All the executive members were probed and they all wanted nothing to do with it as they had no idea about it.

‘‘ There was another text that Nhleko sent from his own cellphone to their WhatsApp group where all members are and that we found to be campaigning and made our order based on that,” he explained.

Dlamini also said that after the disqualification decision was made, they also decided to defer the elections.

“It is up to the association to continue or not with the assembly tomorrow ( today) but only without the last item which i s t he e xecuti ve c ommittee elections. We can’t decide for them otherwise the Ethics Committee has no role in the assembly without the elections,” he clarified.

DECISION

He then explained that to avoid matters going to court, they reached the decision to defer the elections to allow Nhleko to appeal as per the procedure which allows him to do so within three working days.

“Three days will be up I t hink on Wednesday otherwise he would be unfairly denied a legitimate right to appeal the order of this committee. We’ve already got the indication that they intend to appeal the order,” he said.

His Deputy, Phumzile Thomo, then reminded the media that the matter was ongoing so they could not deliberate much on it for now before the chairman ensured a full report will be out soon and everything will be clarified. Nhleko was reached on the latest. However, he said on the advice of his legal team, he could not comment.

ERA Secretary Mbongeni Shongwe confirmed the latest as well and said the whole meeting was now off until further notice.