Shakes Mashaba is currently suspended by his employers for his alleged finger-wagging aimed at SA Football Association (Safa) officials, which included president Danny Jordaan and chief executive officer Dennis Mumble, in Polokwane, for not giving him their support during a challenging period in his tenure.
The Bafana Bafana coach failed to guide the country's senior national team to January’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), but got off to an ideal start on the road to the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a 1-1 draw away to Burkina Faso and beating Senegal 2-1 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium two weeks ago.
Now that Mashaba appears headed for the exit door just over two years into what was supposed to be a four-year contract, soccer reporter Mazola Molefe looks at how six of his predecessors parted ways with Safa ...
Gordon Igesund
2012-14
Seen as ‘Mr Fix-It’ when he came in as a replacement for beleaguered Pitso Mosimane in July 2012, six months before South Africa hosted the Afcon, the man currently in charge of Highlands Park in the Premier League endured a spell riddled with controversy and some poor results towards the end.
Igesund took over with the hope that he would rescue Bafana’s 2014 World Cup qualification, which had gotten off to an unsatisfactory start with Mosimane only managing a 1-1 draw at home against lowly Ethiopia. He was sacked a day later and Steve Komphela took over the reins away in Botswana, a match which also ended in a 1-1 stalemate. Igesund, who was accused of trying to influence players to ask for excessive bonuses but was never found guilty, reached the quarter-finals of the Afcon and his contract was not renewed after the national team could not book their place at the World Cup.
Pitso Mosimane
2010-12
Spent five years in total as a Safa employee and as an apprentice until he was appointed coach shortly after the 2010 World Cup. His time as Bafana coach was full of promise, but like Mashaba, his never-ending squabbles with the press were part of his undoing. 'Jingles' was also relieved of his duties two years before his contract was supposed to expire and took the association to the cleaners as a result and forced them to settle out of court for wrongful dismissal. The amount paid to Mosimane was never disclosed, but it is believed to have been around R10 million.
Carlos Alberto Parreira
2009-10
The only man on this list to have left the hot seat on his own terms - twice. A 1994 World Cup winner with his native country Brazil, Parreira had only agreed to return for a second spell as coach to help Bafana in the same global showpiece South Africa hosted six years ago. He cut ties immediately after and punted Mosimane, who’d been his assistant during both his stints, as an ideal successor.
Stuart Baxter
2004-05
You get a sense he is, to some extent, still bitter about his sacking because he felt he deserved more time despite a botched 2006 World Cup qualification campaign. The Scotsman was a surprise appointment by Safa given the fact that the four previous Bafana coaches before him were all local. He never quite got to do things his way, but the failure to qualify for any major tournament almost always leads to a sacking. He returned to South Africa seven years later to coach Kaizer Chiefs and guided them to two league titles in three seasons and is attempting to build a championship-winning side at SuperSport United at the moment.
Joel Santana
2008-09
He came highly recommended by his compatriot Parreira, who had resigned in April 2008 to attend to his ill wife. Although his record as a club coach was quite formidable, with former Brazil striker Romario naming him as the best mentor he has ever worked under, life in charge of his first national team was extremely different. It was no surprise when Santana, who hardly spoke a word of English, was sacked prior to the 2010 World Cup for poor results, which included a run of eight defeats in nine matches.
Ted Dumitru
2005-06
It seemed like a match made in heaven because of his success in the domestic league with Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, until Bafana’s worst-ever showing at an Africa Cup of Nations. Under the late Dumitru, the national team failed to score a goal and lost all three of their group stage matches at the 2006 edition held in Egypt. A very short stint, and it was clear for all to see why.
Follow Mazola Molefe on Twitter@superjourno
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