Zelt reveals his 'master plan' to reclaim Newlands

By Jan de Koning

Monday 11 Apr 2022

BREAKING NEWS: Suspended Western Province Rugby Football Union President Zelt Marais plans to move back into the Newlands Stadium offices this week.

Despite having been served by the South African Rugby Football Union and facing 13 charges, Marais persists with the claim that he is the legitimate WPRFU President.

He even held a 'council' meeting at a Newlands hotel at the weekend and said it was "very successful".

"A number of important resolutions were adopted with regards to capacitating WPRFU and creating a sustainable funding model that ought to benefit all the clubs, but strongly leaning towards levelling the playing field in favour of historically disadvantaged clubs and regions," Marais told @rugby365com.

"The departments of Sport, Arts & Culture, Education, Health, Social Welfare and the various local municipalities will all have to come on board should they wish to be returned to office at the next local, provincial and national elections," he added in a threatening tone.

However, he refused to answer any questions about the weekend's meeting.

According to some reports, only about 15 people attended his 'council meeting' and there is no indication how many of them were actually club affiliated.

This, by most accounts, is only half of the number that arrived at a previous meeting last month - when Marais and his supporters were locked out of the Newlands Stadium.

On that occasion only four people with club affiliation were present.

On Monday, Marais - in defiance of the SARU instruction and one of the many charges he is facing - again issued a communiqué on a WPRFU letterhead and addressed to the members of the executive committee, council, secretaries of clubs and life members of the union.

In it, he outlines the 'resolutions' taken at the 'council meeting' including a decision to move forward with the sale of Newlands.

The letter also speaks of his 'corporate advisors', without naming them.

"The President and where required together with a member of the executive committee and or the Chief Financial Officer and in collaboration with the WPRFU corporate advisors proceed with fulfilling the conditions precedent with regards to the signed agreement for the sale of the Newlands precinct with an amount of ZAR50-million being 8.33 percent of the proceeds to be ringfenced for club rugby development with a strong emphasis being placed on real transformation," the letter states.

He also stated that will proceed with negotiations to dispose of a maximum of 55 percent of the ordinary shares of the company - Western Province Professional Rugby Pty Ltd.

This will be for an amount of at least ZAR150-million.

He also co-opted several people onto the 'executive committee' on an interim basis - based on the terms and conditions agreed to at the council meeting held on October 7 last year.

Those 'new' executive members are Godfrey Afrika, Andre Gabriels, Nadier Isaacs, James Bezuidenhout, Adonis Cupido and Thomas du Plessis.

He also appointed Josias J. Bailey, Gerald Njengele and Leon Kruger as Trustees of WPRFU.

The real clincher was that Marais will "reoccupy the offices at the Newlands Stadium" in the week of April 11 to 15.