Southern Stream First Division to kick off in January

The Southern Stream First Division’s (SSFD) kick off is delayed because of statutory compliance, chairperson Jakobus Markus says.

Speaking to Desert FM this week, Markus said in terms of the statutes, the constitution of the league and its envisaged start needs to be preceded by an annual general meeting which will be held on 25 January 2025 in WIndhoek.

The SSFD was initially set to kick off in September, and then October before being deferred indefinitely.

“We need to approve the activities of the season, and to approve the finances of the season as well as the league fixtures,” said Markus.

“We need to also approve the facilities that we are going to use, because in terms of the statutes and regulations prior to the league kick off, the league authority needs to inspect these facilities that we are going to use,” Markus stressed.

“Subsequently, after the inspection it will need to be approved. The process has not been done yet. Apart from that there is also the issue with regard to the membership.”

The senior SSFD official said some clubs are yet to renew their membership, while the league faces another hiccup pertaining to the statuses of Orlando Pirates and Namibia Correctional Services.

“We are also faced with the issue around the availability of the facilities at the time that we planned our league kick off,” Markus said.

“So at that time, the facilities were a challenge . . . the majority of our stadiums were closed for upgrade and repair, including the rehabilitation of the lawn.”