Amajita head coach Raymond Mdaka has broken his silence regarding the public debate surrounding his salary from the SA Football Association [SAFA].
The issue, which first came to light through former SAFA technical director Walter Steenbok, has fueled widespread discussion and criticism over the association’s reportedly low remuneration for Mdaka.
In a recent radio interview, Steenbok claimed that the U-20 AFCON winning coach was earning below R25,000. But the claims were denied by SAFA CEO Lydia Monyepao during the federation’s appearance before the parliament portfolio committee on Sport last week.
In response to parliamentary inquiries, the SAFA CEO stated that Mdaka’s salary was indeed higher than publicly claimed, yet still confirmed it was below R50,000 per month. This revelation has drawn significant public backlash, especially when contrasted with the reported six-figure monthly salary of Bafana Bafana’s Belgian coach, Hugo Broos.
WHAT RAYMOND MDAKA SAID ABOUT THE DEBATE ABOUT HIS SALARY
Mdaka addressed the contentious issue during a homecoming event hosted by the Greater Tzaneen Municipality in Limpopo on Thursday, where he was asked how he felt about the ongoing debate.
“Most of the things can come up. As a coach, you need to have that heart of accepting some of the things, especially when they are out of your hands,” said Mdaka.
“You can not stop people from talking. Much as how they speak about you, others might be quite disturbing, others might be pleading with you.
“But all these other things we don’t normally focus on. We just allow it as it is, and nature will sort it out.”
SA U-20 AFCON WINNING COACH HONOURED BY THE GREATER TZANEEN MUNICIPALITY
Meanwhile, the Tzaneen Municipality also awarded Mdaka and his foundation with R35,000 for his upcoming development tournament. The tournament will be held on 20 and 21 June in Nkowankowa, Limpopo.
“I am a bit relieved. I started the foundation with four primary schools, with netball and football. Then the second year it went to eight. So this time it’s 16 football teams and netball and you need to deal with all the challenging logistics,” added Mdaka.
“The biggest vision for me is to also see those kids coming from the rural areas and getting into academies to showcase their talent.
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