A South African Football Association executive is set to release a statement today denying the rape allegations against him, as another victim has come forward to say she was raped by him.
In October, singer and former ANC MP Jennifer Ferguson went public with an allegation that the executive raped her in a hotel in Port Elizabeth 24 years ago. No charges were laid against him, and Ferguson said her intention in going public was not to punish him, but "to bring to light of truth... which has been hidden through years of shame."
The following day, Ferguson told The Herald that another woman had contacted her, alleging that the same thing had happened to her.
"Just yesterday I got a message from somebody who experienced the same thing with him... I don't know if she will be ready to disclose... a relative of somebody in a very high position. It's a big step to step out," Ferguson said at the time.
On Tuesday night, journalist Faith Daniels told talk show host Karima Brown on her show on Talk Radio 702 that another woman had come forward, alleging that the man tried to rape her. She said she found herself with him in a Sandton hotel in 2004. The man allegedly "made his intentions clear" and the woman was able to escape.
It was around the time of the planning for the 2010 World Cup. She had a meeting scheduled with him. He told her to come to his hotel room as he was on a conference call. She became uncomfortable when he started asking about her personal life. He then put his hand on her thigh and "worked his way up" and when she removed his hand, the man allegedly grinned. He asked for more than a work relationship and the woman said that was not what she wanted. She then ran out of the room. The woman said she did not tell anyone as she thought she would not be believed. The sport ececutive's lawyer, Mamodupi Mohlala-Mulaudzi, called in to the show and said: "My client has now made a decision that he will now be making a press release that will be released tomorrow, whereby he will be specifically denying all the allegations made against him by Ms Ferguson."
The executive's name is known to HuffPost SA, but cannot be published in terms of Press Code regulations.