Western Province Rugby is looking to get rid of a rat in their kitchen and the union’s president Zelt Marais has written to clubs to assure them that he is dealing with the problem.
Marais, who had to withdraw comments made in an interview about the union’s business dealings last month, says someone at the union is leaking key information to “unauthorised third parties”.
With WP being in the news for all the wrong reasons of late – a failed deal with MVM Holdings, the Newlands deal with Flyt, who dropped a bombshell in December claiming damages, to name a couple – there has been some concern from its clubs.
Add to this reports that board member Junaid Moerat was suspended last month on the same day he was supposed to be introduced as interim CEO, en die ding ruk behoorlik.
According to Rapport, around 12 Cape rugby clubs have written to the South African Rugby Union (Saru) requesting that they step in at WP as they have lost all confidence in the current management.
Marais, though, wrote a letter – published by Rapport – to clubs, saying: “The union has been devastated by an unknown person or persons, unfortunately from within its structures, which leaked confidential information.
“Given the fallout due to these leaks, it seems there is a careful strategy behind it, to undermine the union’s commercial and sports efforts in general, and my presidency – especially the mandate you have given me.
“We hope to eradicate this plague soon. The union deliberately did not return the spate of balls kicked at us by the media. It is of little use to get involved in a war of words with anonymous people.”