By Mark Ogagan
The South African Football Association (SAFA) has announced Tumi Dlamini as the chairperson of the country’s 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Bid Committee.
Following a SAFA NEC meeting held in Nasrec last weekend, the Association’s CEO Lydia Monyepao also confirmed the appointment of veteran administrator Russell Paul as the Bid Lead of the Committee. CAF Vice President Kanizat Ibrahim, FIFA Council member Isha Johansen and SAFA Vice President Anastasia Tsichlas were announced as Bid Committee members.
Former SAFA President Dr. Molefi Oliphant has also been announced as a member of the Committee. SAFA is also in the process of finalising the addition of more members to the Committee.
Dlamini is a member of the SAFA Governance Committee and has served in several football committees, including the CAF Governance Committee and 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee. She also served on the Board of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Organising Committee (AFCON). A lawyer by profession, Dlamini is an admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa with a multi-disciplinary background in Corporate Law, African Development, public policy, facilitating strategic African and global partnerships and corporate governance. She was the first black woman to be appointed a partner by an international law firm in South Africa.
She is currently an Advisor to the African Peer Review Mechanism, an organ of the African Union (AU) where she leads and promotes corporate governance policies and initiatives on the African continent, and is also the Head of Global Relations and Partnerships. She has engaged with the private sector and governments at the highest level in several countries, including, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Egypt, Liberia, Uganda, South Africa, Namibia, Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia and several others. She is a strategic thinker who has amassed knowledge of the political, economic and regulatory dynamics across key markets in Africa and globally. She currently serves on several boards, including JSE-listed companies.
She holds a Masters in Public Administration and Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, a B Social Sciences Degree and a postgraduate degree in LLB from the University of Cape Town.
Paul has a long history in football administration and was once a SAFA NEC member from the Western Cape. At SAFA, he worked as a manager for events before he was promoted to the position of general manager football business.
He took over as SAFA Acting CEO in 2018 before resigning to take up the COO position at the Qatar FIFA World Cup last year.
Upon returning home, SAFA identified him as the right person to spearhead the bid for the 2027 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
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