SAFA Northern Cape provincial secretary Brenda Mafunisa has come under fire after a social media post sparked controversy and accusations of promoting match-fixing following the conclusion of the 2025/26 Motsepe Foundation Championship season.
Mafunisa allegedly posted a WhatsApp and Facebook status reading: “What Upington City did to the Northern Cape province cannot be undone.” The status included emojis of a heartbreak and a football.
Interestingly, the post surfaced shortly after Hungry Lions missed out on a place in the promotion playoffs. Hungry Lions needed maximum points in their recent fixture to secure a top-three finish but were held to a goalless draw by Upington City FC.
As things stand, the victory would have seen Hungry Lions finish third on goal difference, ahead of Milford FC. Instead, they narrowly missed out on a playoff spot by two points.
The remarks sparked outrage within football circles in the province, with former Cape Town City FC midfielder Bradley Surprise Ralani among the first to publicly criticise the SAFA administrator.
“This coming from someone in charge of our football in the Northern Cape, a whole provincial administrator and then we wonder why we still don’t have a PSL team in the province after all these years. Onse football is in sy m**r cause we laid by frauds with no integrity whatsoever mxm.”
UPINGTON CITY FC CHAIRMAN HITS BACK
Upington City chairman David Mogashoa accused Mafunisa of creating divisions rather than supporting all clubs equally. “It is unfair and completely unacceptable for a provincial secretary to post such messages on WhatsApp and Facebook,” Mogashoa told FARPost.
“That post can easily be interpreted as promoting match fixing. It cannot be correct for one club to be blamed for the struggles or possible failure of another simply because they come from the same province. Football administrators have a responsibility to promote and support all clubs in the Northern Cape equally, without bias or selective treatment.”
SAFA OFFICIAL DENIES KNOWLEDGE OF POST
When contacted by FARPost for comment, Mafunisa denied knowledge of the social media post. “I don’t know what post you’re referring to,” she said.
Following Kruger United’s automatic qualification to play in the Betway Premiership by virtue of winning the league, two spots were left.
Cape Town City FC and Milford, who finished third and fourth, respectively, will face the team that finished 15th in the Betway Premiership. They will know their opponent on Saturday, 23 May, after the final round of matches. The playoffs will run from 26 May to 13 June.
CT City will be hoping for a quick return to the top-flight, while Milford have never been there before. The Cape Town side will host Milford in the first play-off game, before travelling to the 15th-placed side in the Betway Premiership on 30 May.
They will conclude with Milford, who finished second last in the Betway Premiership.
CT City and Milford have played twice this season, with the KwaZulu-Natal side winning 1-0 at home and drawing 2-2 in Cape Town.
Promotion Play-off fixtures
May 26: Cape Town City FC vs Milford FC
May 30: 15th Betway Premiership vs Cape Town City FC
June 3: Milford vs 15th Betway Premiership
June 6: Milford vs Cape Town City FC
June 10: Cape Town City FC vs 15th Betway Premiership
June 13: 15th Betway Premiership vs Milford FC
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