Zelt suspends five dissenting voices

By Jan de Koning

Thursday 7 Oct 2021

BREAKING NEWS: Western Province Rugby Football Union President Zelt Marais has suspended five more dissenting voices on his executive committee.

Marais on Thursday informed Reuben Riffel, Anele Zita, Quintin Van Rooyen, the already suspended Mario Williams and vice-president Ronald Bantom and that they must appear before a disciplinary committee on Thursday, October 21.

They are charged with being in breach of the WPRFU's codes of conduct.

The notice was sent on an outdated letterhead that lists Marais as the 'acting CEO' - a contested position - and Thelo Wakefield as President.

Wakefield was replaced as President by Marais in 2018.

The document, on a WP Rugby letterhead, also includes the names of former group CEO Paul Zacks (who resigned in January 2020), former vice-president Gerald Njengele, Peter Jooste (recently resigned) - along with others who have moved on, Dave Kagan and Spencer King.

The disciplinary action brought by Marais follows the urgent application in the Western Cape High Court against Marais (as President) and WPRFU on September 23.

The five – Bantom, Riffel, Van Rooyen, Williams and Zita – asked the court to remove Marais from office.

(Article continues below ...)

@rugby365com reported at the time, judge Patrick Gamble struck the matter off the high court roll, because he does not regard it as urgent.

In the application, they accused Marais of making unilateral decisions with contract negotiations, failing or refusing to execute and implement regulations of the WPRFU ExCo and council and withholding information from members of ExCo and the council.

They also accused him of being ‘in breach of his fiduciary duties’ and that he is ‘delinquent’.

The latest suspensions leave only Marais and two others - Deputy President Moneeb Levy and Nadeema Khan - on the ExCo,

In all Marais has suspended six members of his ExCo.

Junaid Moerat was suspended in February this year.

Williams was suspended last month for daring to oppose Marais, while Bantom, Riffell, Van Rooyen and Zita are the latest additions to Marais' black list.

This is the latest in the boardroom war at Newlands.

As @rugby365com reported Ebrahim Rasool, Chairman of the board of WP Professional Rugby (Pty) Ltd, has become the target of Tygerberg – one of 90-odd cubs in the union.

In a letter, addressed to WPRFU President Zelt Marais, the club asked for the removal of Rasool “as a matter of urgency”.

The same club also went after other Marais dissenters – the five now suspended members of the Executive Committee who made an urgent application in the Cape High court on Thursday to remove Marais from office.

@king365ed

@rugby365com