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360˚ PERSPECTIVES • ISSUE 2 • 2013/14
Dr Danny Jordaan elected President of the South African Football Association UWC Alumnus Daniel Alexander Jordaan was elected as President of the South African Football Association (SAFA) at its elective congress held in September. Jordaan beat Mandla ‘Shoes’ Mazibuko for the top spot and will replace outgoing president Kirsten Nemantandani. In the runup to the elections, Jordaan spoke passionately about rebuilding South African soccer from ‘grassroots level’ to restore the image of SAFA. A former sports administrator, businessman, lecturer, politician, anti-apartheid activist and CEO of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Board, Jordaan was born in Port Elizabeth. He became involved in anti-apartheid activities by joining the South African Students’ Organisation (SASO) in the early 1970s. He completed his BA and Higher Diploma in Education at UWC, as well as an honours degree from the University of South Africa (Unisa). Jordaan interrupted his studies at UWC in the early ‘70s to become an unqualified
teacher. After 1976, he returned to UWC and graduated. Jordaan was very involved in sport at UWC – playing football and cricket, and represented Western Province in cricket. Jordaan also held the position of chairman of the UWC Football Club. In 1990 he was elected as the chairperson of the ANC branch in Port Elizabeth North. After the first democratic elections in 1994, he was a Member of Parliament for the ANC until 1997. Jordaan has received three honorary doctorates: a DPhil from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, a DAdmin from Unisa, and a second DPhil from his alma mater, UWC.
Jordaan was very involved in sport at UWC – playing football and cricket, and represented Western Province in cricket. Jordaan served FIFA in numerous capacities, including as General Coordinator for the Youth World Cup (now the FIFA U-20 World Cup), 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and