The country’s football governing body released the following statement and also shared a letter from Fifa president Gianni Infantino
The South African Football Association (Safa) has learnt with shock and horror of the assassination of Umkhanyakude region president, Jabulani Nxumalo on Thursday evening, September 17, 2020.
According to KZN Safa provincial chairman, Kwenzakwakhe Ngwenya, two assailants arrived at Nxumalo’s homestead and after exchanging a few words, shot Nxumalo several times before disappearing into the nearby bush on foot.
‘’From what I have gathered so far, this cold-blooded assassination looked like it was a well-planned hit,” said a shocked Ngwenya, who himself survived an attempt on his life in 2018 ahead of the Safa Elective Congress.
‘’This is unacceptable and barbaric behaviour. Shedding innocent blood like this is the last thing society must tolerate. People must value human life and personally, I am gutted and shocked. Nxumalo didn’t deserve to die like this,’’ mourned Ngwenya, who confirmed the SAPS were busy investigating the matter.
‘’Nxumalo was a loyal servant of the game and was an ardent supporter of the current leadership. Let me make it clear that these killers and their sponsors will not cow us into submission.”
Safa President, Dr Danny Jordaan, said the murder of Nxumalo and constant growing threats against the Safa leadership is something the Safa NEC will robustly discuss in Saturday’s meeting scheduled at Safa House.
‘’A lot of our members have been receiving all sorts of threats and we are going to report this to the police commissioner to look into these incidents. Nxumalo’s killing and the various threats on our members are not isolated incidents but well-orchestrated and this must stop,’’ said Dr Jordaan.
‘’These latest threats started to grow in March and some disgruntled individuals even solicited the support of one political party to push a hate agenda against the elected leadership. The Safa NEC will come up with a united position after Saturday’s meeting on this disturbing trend.”
Safa CEO, Tebogo Motlanthe, said Nxumalo’s brazen murder left him angry.
‘’We hope this time that the killers will be arrested. Football people cannot continue to die like this and then no one is arrested,’’ said Motlanthe.
Meanwhile, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has written to the Safa president to express his condolences on the tragic passing of Nxumalo.
The letter from Fifa:
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