Leading Eastern Cape soccer administrator Isaac Klaas has landed a top position at the SA Football Association (Safa) headquarters as the new manager of membership and governance.
Klaas, who has been serving as the Safa Eastern Cape provincial secretary for a decade, will assume his new duties as of Thursday.
“It’s so sad to leave people who I have worked with because we were like a family but, unfortunately, one has to grow,” the 55-tear-old said.
“I am also opening an opportunity for young people to come up.
“I started in 2011 as the provincial secretary, so it’s exactly 10 years now and in that 10 years I have made my mark.
“The post that I have been appointed in is based at head office in Johannesburg, so I will be based there.
“It’s very sad to leave the Eastern Cape, but it’s very exciting at the same time because as a person you always want to better yourself.
“I think with the mark and the contribution I have made in the province, I am happy to leave.
“However, to leave the family is always hard and there is sadness, but its personal development and growth so I am very happy.”
The Motherwell-born administrator said the most important thing he had learnt during his term as the provincial secretary was creating cordial working relations with people.
“That process I managed to do successfully because, in our regions, we talk one language and we understand each other — there are good working relations.
“I did not know how they operated until I worked with them and then I understood this is how things are done.
“I am also happy that during my reign I have developed a lot of people, especially women administrators like Nwabisa Mavuso and many more in the province.”
He is expecting the new post to be onerous, but is prepared to learn.
“I really don’t know the ins and outs of the position.
“However, one of the main duties is to work with the provincial secretaries and as a former provincial secretary I would know how to deal with them.
“I only expect a healthy working relationship and contribution to a better Safa.
“Safa vision 2022 talks about a world-class administration and the new CEO is really into that, so we must achieve that.
“So from the administration side I want to contribute to that and I really want to make our regions better in terms of the capacity and how to run their clubs.
“My message to everyone that I have worked with is that respect for other people is very important.
“The discipline in what you do is very important and when you work with people, always be firm as long as you are guarded by the constitution of Safa and the rules and regulations of the competition.
“Once we stick on those things, surely we will have a better Safa,” Klaas said.
Safa Eastern Cape chair Mzimkhulu Fina, who also serves on the Safa national executive committee, said: “We have lost one of the best secretaries in the province.
“He was one person who was able to move around all the corners of the this province, he sacrificed and he was a reliable link between us and our stakeholders and all departments that involved sport.”
HeraldLIVE
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