What next: Is Zelt heading to court?

By Jan de Koning

Sunday 17 Apr 2022

UPDATE: Suspended Western Province Rugby Football Union President Zelt Marais may well be ready to play his trump card in his stand-off with the South African Rugby Union.

Marais, at the weekend, hinted that going the 'legal route' may well be the next step for the embattled former WPRFU boss.

This follows the blunt warning from SARU administrator Rian Oberholzer, that any individual or club associating with or supporting Marais will pay a hefty price.

As @rugby365com reported Marais – UPDATE: Suspended Western Province Rugby Football Union President Zelt Marais may well be ready to play his trump card in his stand-off with the South African Rugby Union. Marais, at the weekend, hinted that going the 'legal route' may well be the next step for the embattled former WPRFU boss. This follows the blunt warning from SARU administrator Rian Oberholzer, that any individual or club associating with or supporting Marais will pay a hefty price. As @rugby365com reported Marais – as a result of his ongoing behaviour – will most likely face two sets of disciplinary action in the near future. Marais, who persists with the claim that he is the legitimate WPRFU President, has already been served by SARU and will face 13 charges at a disciplinary hearing. The date for this hearing is yet to be made public. The SARU administrator, in his letter this past Thursday, confirmed that the suspended former President’s conduct has also been referred to the WPRFU’s Complaints Review Officer. It means Marais is likely to face disciplinary hearings for being in breach of both the SARU and WPRFU code of conduct regulations. However, Marais was standing his ground. "The threat by [SARU administrator] Rian Oberholzer and or Danny [Jones, General Manager - WPRFU] to charge and or to suspend the President and or any affiliated club of WPRFU is baseless," Marais told @rugby365com at the weekend. He added that the administrator's actions have "no substance" and is both "illegal and unlawful". "The current administration - as previously stated [repeatedly to @rugby365com] - is both illegal and unlawful." Marais, along with all elected and/or appointed officials, were suspended when SARU placed WPRFU under administration in October last year. Experienced former SA Rugby CEO, Rian Oberholzer, was appointed as the administrator. The polemical former WPRFU boss has repeated challenged the right of SARU to invoke Clause 29.5 of its constitution. And one of his main allies, Philip Burns, a suspended Non-Executive Director of Western Province Professional Rugby, threatened to file a “formal criminal complaint” against the South African Rugby Union with the Serious Commercial Crimes Directorate – also known as the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation or HAWKS. @rugby365com asked Marais for confirmation of his plan to launch legal action against SARU and the WPRFU administrator. However, neither Marais nor SARU replied at the time of publishing this article. @king365ed @rugby365com Also worth reading The price of associating with Zelt Marais Zelt: Volcanic fall-out over ‘ExCo and road show’ Zelt reveals his ‘master plan’ to reclaim Newlands Zelt says ‘SAROUX’ wants to capture WPRFU SA Rugby takes administrative control of WPRFU EP boss charged for labelling Bok emblem ‘racist’ SARU to charge Zelt with misconduct Jurie Roux: Parliament backs SARU McKeever bomb drops on WPRFU as a result of his ongoing behaviour – will most likely face two sets of disciplinary action in the near future.

Marais, who persists with the claim that he is the legitimate WPRFU President , has already been served by SARU and will face 13 charges at a disciplinary hearing.

The date for this hearing is yet to be made public.

The SARU administrator, in his letter this past Thursday, confirmed that the suspended former President’s conduct has also been referred to the WPRFU’s Complaints Review Officer.

It means Marais is likely to face disciplinary hearings for being in breach of both the SARU and WPRFU code of conduct regulations.

However, Marais was standing his ground.

"The threat by [SARU administrator] Rian Oberholzer and or Danny [Jones, General Manager - WPRFU] to charge and or to suspend the President and or any affiliated club of WPRFU is baseless," Marais told @rugby365com at the weekend.

He added that the administrator's actions have "no substance" and are both "illegal and unlawful".

"The current administration - as previously stated [repeatedly to @rugby365com] - is both illegal and unlawful."

Marais, along with all elected and/or appointed officials, were suspended when SARU placed WPRFU under administration in October last year.

Experienced former SA Rugby CEO, Rian Oberholzer, was appointed as the administrator.

The polemical former WPRFU boss has repeatedly challenged the right of SARU to invoke Clause 29.5 of its constitution.

And one of his main allies, Philip Burns, a suspended Non-Executive Director of Western Province Professional Rugby, threatened to file a “formal criminal complaint” against the South African Rugby Union with the Serious Commercial Crimes Directorate – also known as the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation or HAWKS.

@rugby365com asked Marais for confirmation of his plan to launch legal action against SARU and the WPRFU administrator.

However, neither Marais nor SARU replied at the time of publishing this article.

@king365ed

@rugby365com