SA football rocked by sexual abuse scandal

The eMalahleni Football Association has been rocked by sexual abuse scandals after one of their coaches got arrested on rape charges.

The football fraternity in Mpumalanga is reeling with shock after a development coach appeared in court at eMalahleni last week on three counts of rape involving minor boys playing for one of the youth academies in Witbank. The coach is currently in custody pending his bail application. He is set to return to court on Thursday.

He is not the first coach from the region to be implicated in sexual abuse offence involving minor boys after another coach from the same area was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for sexually abusing young players at a soccer academy in 2025.

eMalahleni LFA president Peter Molope has confirmed the incident of sexual assault in eMalahleni and said the suspect has been arrested.

“This is very disturbing. We are disappointed. There are not enough words to describe it. This is very bad and sensitive allegations. We do not condone it. This is inhumane. Such people must not be allowed to live with society. This man must be locked and stay in jail,” said a livid Malope, talking to KickOff.

“We will leave no stone unturned to make sure that such barbaric behaviour does not continue to happen in our football. The kids must feel safe to play football,” he added.

eMalahleni Football Association have also released an official statement related to the sexual assault in the region.

“We can confirm that three young brave boys have come forward to report the abuse they endured, with the number of the affected more likely to increase. The accused individual has been arrested and appeared in court on June 23, 2026 and currently remains in police custody,” read the statement.

“Local leadership has moved decisively. The Chairman, together with the leadership of the affected zone, acted swiftly by arranging a direct meeting with the parents of affected children. During this meeting, he assured the families that the incident is under intense scrutiny by the association and that immediate internal actions are being taken to mitigate the situation.”

KickOff has withheld the name of the coach and the academy for ethical reasons.