Lydia Monyepao has the mammoth task of helping to deliver the Fifa Women’s World Cup but she is not prepared to let her big new job as the boss of South African football stand in the way of her priorities — raising her young children.
For South Africans, nothing could be more important than hosting another global football showcase in 2027. But Monyepao, who became the first woman CEO for the South African Football Association (Safa), is adamant her children will not play second fiddle to the daunting task at hand.
Monyepao, 42, ascended to the top job in the blink of an eye. Her predecessor Tebogo Motlanthe resigned in a huff on May 12 and Monyepao was appointed on two days later.
Among her immediate tasks is to champion Safa’s bid to turn the World Cup dream into a reality.
At the press conference on Monday to announce her new role, the former Banyana Banyana star — nicknamed “Skills” for her silky touches during her playing days — was candid about her determination that the job would not see her push her young daughters onto the back burner.
She highlighted to the Safa national executive committee (NEC) that she comes into the position as a mother of two daughters who she jokingly referred to as future Banyana Banyana players.
“Obviously there is a need for one to be involved in the upbringing of my children,” said Monyepao.
She does not want to be treated as special because she’s “a woman with children”. “When this opportunity came about and the NEC and the president [Danny Jordaan] started discussing this with me, I indicated that I have to discuss this with my husband because he is my support base.
“With our children being so young, we take turns in terms of their needs and requirements. This job is very challenging. I will be required time and again to be travelling and attend a lot of meetings outside the office.
“Advocate Motlanthe used to do all the travelling. Now it falls on my lap. So, obviously, one has to balance the work and life. It is quite important that one takes that into consideration. Hence I highlighted to the NEC to take this into consideration. But I am available for the position.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the women that are coming behind me. Everyone is looking up to me to represent them on this stage as the first [woman] CEO of Safa. Women should not be overlooked because of young children or because they are married or because of their private and personal situations,” she said.
Monyepao was one of five applicants for the job two years ago but lost out to Motlanthe. She said the position came earlier than expected. “You always have to be ready for whatever comes and take the opportunity whenever it presents itself. I believe I’m capable of this. I’m ready to serve and I will do my best in the position.”
Women should not be overlooked because of young children or because they are married or because of their private and personal situations
— Lydia Monyepao, new Safa CEO
She has hit the ground running. On Tuesday she led a Safa delegation to Cape Town to discuss with government the bid for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup. Said Jordaan: “We have deadlines and we must meet those deadlines.
"She knows all the deadlines because she has been working on the project anyway. She is not new.”
The deadline for bid submission to Fifa is Friday, May 19.
Monyepao is a product of Safa development, an organisation Jordaan enthused “is an education and training institution, [where] we develop talent in administration”.
He added: “We are fortunate that we have a person who has been with Safa for a long time. She was a player for Banyana Banyana. She then became the manager of Banyana. She then continued her administrative career working at the University of Pretoria.”
He described Monyepao as a person of high quality who is highly respected in Caf and Fifa. “We are fortunate to have such a person. The decision [at the Safa emergency committee meeting on Sunday] was unanimous. Everyone agreed,” he said.
When Monyepao lost out to Motlanthe two years ago, she was appointed Safa chief operating officer, overseeing ongoing operations and procedures, among other duties. The promotion to CEO is a natural progression.
“I have a strong background in operations. I do have the knowledge in terms of what needs to be done and carried forward. I was very much involved with the 2027 bid and women’s football and other operations on that side,” she said.
Monyepao speaks with confidence in her abilities, is unfazed by the daunting challenge and has a clear notion of what she is stepping into.
“It is big shoes that I am filling and I am capable of hitting the ground running. I will take the task and take the work forward. I’m not naïve in terms of what is required for this job. The position came earlier than expected.
“I was expecting myself and advocate Motlanthe to work together until both our contracts ran out in three years. We worked very closely and capitalised on each other’s strengths.
Unfortunately, he decided to end it here, something that came as a shock to all of us. We were not prepared for that.
“I know the challenges that surround any CEO of Safa. No job is easy. You have to take it as it comes and also apply what you are good at and capable of. I’m ready to serve.”
Her work experience includes five years at Ernst & Young “in various positions in auditing and also accounting”. She has also worked for the South African Women and Sport Foundation.
Monyepao has a sound educational background, and was at pains to point out how her career began. “I’ll start with my primary school because it’s the place that made me the person that I am right now,” she said.
“Sometimes people see your institutional qualifications and they don’t really know who you are. I went to Solly Salang primary school in a village called Seifakeng. You won’t find it on the map.”
Monyepao got a scholarship to study at the International School of Bophuthatswana, now known as the International School of South Africa. After matriculating she obtained a BCom in commerce at the University of the Witwatersrand.
She also has a BCom accounting honours degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and graduated at Loughborough University in England with a masters in sport management, “an area I’ve always been interested in, obviously with the reference from Safa because then I was working on the 2010 Fifa local organising committee financial platform”.
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