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South
African Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula says President Zuma did not take sides
ahead of the mid-March CAF presidential election
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South Africa sports
minister Fikile Mbalula Monday denied a Confederation of African Football
statement that President Jacob Zuma was backing incumbent Issa Hayatou in the
CAF leadership race.
AFP
report continues:
A
CAF statement made the claim after its president met Zuma at the weekend ahead
of the African Super Cup match in Pretoria between Mamelodi Sundowns of South
Africa and TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The
statement read in part: "He (President Zuma) thus assured his host (Mr
Hayatou) of South Africa's flawless support for his candidacy for a new term at
the helm of the CAF."
Mbalula
said the state president had not take sides ahead of the mid-March CAF
presidential election in which Hayatou is seeking an eighth successive term and
being challenged by Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar.
"President
Zuma wished Mr Hayatou well as he would any other candidate," the sports
minister said.
"Abiding
by the principles of non-interference in the affairs of football democracy,
President Zuma did not pledge his personal support or that of the South African
government behind the name of Mr Hayatou."
Cameroonian
Hayatou was elected CAF president in 1988 and his 29 years in charge is a record
for a leader of the Cairo-based organisation.
The
70-year-old has been challenged twice for the presidency, with rivals Armando
Machado from Angola and Ismael Bhamjee from Botswana suffering humiliating
defeats.
The 2017 CAF presidential election is scheduled for March 16 in Addis Ababa and the winner will serve a four-year term.
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