Jordaan maintains innocence amid rape allegations
SAFA PRESIDENT Danny Jordaan yesterday poured cold water on a possible mediation process with his rape accuser, musician Jennifer Ferguson.
Instead, Jordaan said only a court of law could resolve the matter as pressure mounted on the soccer boss after the number of women accusing him of sexual assault climbed to three yesterday.
He broke his two-week silence, saying he was only silent on the rape allegations levelled against him because he empathised with victims of gender-based violence.
In a statement issued by his lawyers, Jordaan denied forcing himself on Ferguson and maintained that he was innocent.
“Ms Ferguson has alleged that Dr Jordaan raped her 24 years ago. Dr Jordaan denies that he raped Ms Ferguson,” read the statement in part.
“Dr Jordaan’s perceived silence in the face of such serious allegations is because of his empathy with the victims of gender-based violence. Dr Jordaan has, however, after careful consideration, decided to assert his innocence.”
Several days after breaking her silence on social media platform Facebook, Ferguson, 56, said she was willing to give Jordaan “an opportunity for a mediated restorative process”.
She wrote: “Men who choose to rape women are seriously damaged. Women who are raped are confronted with death and forced to continue living with the memory of their humiliation being a constant experience.
“A society that laughs at this pathology is betraying its future.”
However, Jordaan said the mediation ran a “risk that the public will perceive that there is a cover-up away from the glare of public scrutiny”.
“… and that there is one law for the powerful and another for the masses,” the statement said.
Talking to Radio 702, Ferguson, who is also a former ANC MP, said she suspected that Jordaan was planning to smear her.
She told the station that Jordaan’s “former legal representative made contact with the father of her child, requesting him to reveal any information that could discredit her”.
Gender activist Mbuyiselo Botha said Jordaan “remains innocent until proven guilty” as calls for him to step down as Safa president began to be made.
“(The rape) must be proven by a court of law,” Botha said.
He called on men to support victims of gender-based violence.
“We should not be putting her (Ferguson) in the dock (and say) that she must prove that she was indeed raped,” Botha said.
Social media was abuzz yesterday with comments on the matter, with some users label- ling Ferguson a “bitter ex-girlfriend”. Some rallied behind her, calling on Jordaan to directly respond to allegations.