Safpu new president adamant PSL strike viable
Union stumped by Chabangu ordeal
Newly elected South African Football Players Union (Safpu) president Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe has warned that players could take strike action if their grievances are not taken seriously by the PSL.
Emboldened by his election last weekend, Gaoshubelwe revealed that if their demands were not met they may be forced to down tools.
The militant Gaoshubelwe was speaking on the back of the Sowetan report that former Mamelodi Sundowns and Moroka Swallows midfielder Lerato Chabangu was broke.
The 32-year-old Chabangu pleaded with teams to give him another chance after confessing that he had nothing left. The former Bafana Bafana regular admitted that he had misused his money, which had been wasted on alcohol and partying.
Gaoshubelwe, a football union administrator originally from Schweizer-Reneke in the North West, says his mandate and vision for his four-year term is to ensure that players’ futures are financially secure.
“Our primary objective is to stop the rot and mak sure that players do not go broke just like we have just seen with Lerato,” Gaoshubelwe said.
“My vision is to organise the players and show them that the power lies with them. By the start of next season we must at least be implementing a minimum salary of at least R18 000 for NFD players and R35 000 for PSL players.”
“Footballers need to remember that … their career is short so we need to think for the future,” he said. “They must … look to explore other careers as well like law, administration, finance and so on.”