SAFPU breaks silence over unpaid CHAN bonuses for Bafana Bafana stars 'players asked for our assistance'

South Africa were among the countries that participated in the last edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) that took place in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Bafana Bafana were eliminated by Uganda in a dramatic 3-3 encounter at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala on August 18, 2025. A win would have seen South Africa proceed to the quarter-finals, but despite being 3-1 down with seven minutes, Uganda fought back to register a 3-3 draw, thereby ending Bafana's journey.

In addition to the CHAN exit heartbreak, a new disappointment that the players faced resurfaced recently when Neo Maema, who was the team's captain in the competition, revealed that they are yet to receive their bonuses from SAFA despite several promises.

“Yeah, they haven’t paid, and from me being the captain, I can say and testify that they haven’t paid. By the look of things, that’s how it went; that’s the situation we’re in right now,” Maema said on Sports Night Amplified with Andile on Metro FM.

“They have been promising us, and they haven’t delivered ever since. They got the money from CAF in October, to be precise, and they promised to pay us before December.

“That was the reason and agreement that we also gave them that we have to have the money at least for December," he concluded. 

Now, the South African Footballers Players Union (SAFPU)'s new president, Thulani Hlatshwayo, has revealed steps the association has taken with SAFA in a bid to settle the dues.

"Definitely, after we also saw the news, the players also asked for our assistance. As SAFPU, we did reach out to the players to check what the development has been," Hlatshwayo told Soccer Laduma.

"And we reached out to SAFA, and the matter is still new; we're currently in the process of it.

"Not really, as we know now it is 2026, and the tournament took place last year; they were promised [to be paid] a few months back, and only now have the players reached out to us to assist," the former Bidvest Wits and Orlando Pirates captain concluded.

Reports further emerged that SAFA entered into a performance-based bonus agreement with the players before they headed to the tournament held in East Africa. The terms of the contract included a fixed amount that should be paid that depended on the final position in the group and how far Bafana would go in the competition.

Traditionally, Bafana players were paid per match: R60,000 for a win, R30,000 for a draw, and nothing in case of a defeat.

In regard to the new terms of the SAFA contract with players, Hlatshwayo said they are not privy to that knowledge.

"But about the contract agreements, we don't have that knowledge yet. The players only reached out to us now, and the matter is in the process [of engagement] with SAFA," he continued.

"But players told us they tried to reach out to the (SAFA) management via calls and messages [but they could not succeed]; that's why they wanted our assistance," the retired star concluded.

The bonuses saga hit SAFA at the time Bafana's focus is on preparations for the 2026 World Cup finals.