The development manager of Black Leopards FC, Aaron Thidiela, dropped a bombshell when he requested an early retirement package of R2,5 million.

Thidiela requested an early retirement package through his attorney, Khakhathi Samuel Negota of Thohoyandou. According to the letter sent to the club, Thidiela´s poor health, especially his heart ailment, prompted him to opt for early retirement. Aaron was apparently earning a salary of approximately R20 000 per month.

Thidiela´s motivation for the R2,5 million that he is claiming is also the fact that he "is a family man with four children (and) two of them are still attending school." In the letter sent to Black Leopards, it is stated that the amount claimed would be adequate compensation and reward for Aaron´s selfless devotion to the growth and development of the football club from its semi-professional stage.

From what could be established, the claim did not go down well with the management of Black Leopards. "Where am I going to get that R2, 5 million?” said David Thidiela, manager of Lidoda Duvha. The matter seemingly went to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to resolve the dispute. This, however, caused even more unhappiness as Black Leopards accused the CCMA of being biased.

In a letter written to the CCMA by David Thidiela, he points out that Aaron Thidiela’s attorney, Samuel Negota, works as commissioner at the CCMA. He accuses attorney Negota of acting both as a player and a referee at the same time. Thidiela stated that Leopards has a serious problem with Commissioner Negota in the sense that he is a legal representative of Aaron Thidiela in a labour matter between him and Black Leopards Football club. “To our surprise, when the matter was referred to the CCMA, Negota was appointed as a commissioner and he accepted it. He never disclosed that he is involved in this matter as a legal representative, until we wrote a letter objecting (to) his seating in this matter as a commissioner," he said.

"What Negota was supposed to do from an ethical point of view, was to recuse himself even before any party requested him to do so. If Negota could not recuse himself in this matter, we suspect that there are other matters that he is involved in as a legal advisor and commissioner at the same time,” David Thidiela said. “I have reasons to believe that Negota is dividing my family, as this matter was talked about amongst us as family members. However, Negota, as we are told, insists that the matter be pursued through the CCMA."

Black Leopards do not have a very good record at the CCMA in recent months. In November, Leopards were ordered to pay their former goalkeeper, Mashudu Mamphitha, about a quarter of a million rand. This follows after the club lost their arbitration case against the player, whom they fired earlier this year. The club did not turn up at the CCMA hearing scheduled for November 16 and the commissioner, Mr Khutso Elias Mpai, ruled in favour of the goalkeeper.

The general manager of the team, Mr Samuel Khaphathe, afterwards said that they were not going to pay Mamphitha the money awarded by the CCMA. He stated that they had not been accorded an opportunity to give their side of the story as the hearing had been held in their absence. He reiterated the fact that they were going to challenge the award in a court of law.