Mark Keohane, the former communications manager of the Springbok rugby team, reacted strongly on Wednesday to his report on alleged racial incidents in the Bok camp having being leaked to the media and carried on the pages of national newspapers and websites this week.
”It has been bought to my attention that contents of my report handed to SA Rugby Pty Ltd managing director Rian Oberholzer are being used in various South African publications, both electronically and in newsprint,” said Keohane on Wednesday.
”I want to emphatically state that the contents of the report remain my intellectual property and was given to the managing director in confidence.”
Revelations from Keohane’s report took up an entire page in The Citizen under the headline The Unauthorised Mark Keohane Dossier on Wednesday and appeared on the front page of the Afrikaans daily Beeld as well as on the Naspers website News24.com
Keohane said that he had never given permission for publications of his 22-page report and that he had sought legal advice against those who have carried excerpts of the report.
”Copies of the report, requested by Mr Oberholzer in explaining my reasons for resigning as Springbok Communications Manager, were also given to Mr Jonathan Goslett, in his capacity as secretary to the King Investigation, and to Mr Graham Abrahams, spokesman for Sports and Recreation Minister Ngconde Balfour,” said Keohane in a statement.
”I have never given the full 22-page report to any media group in South Africa or abroad despite several requests.
”I also turned down cash offers for the sale of the report.
”I was extremely disappointed at the postponement of the enquiry until next year. I expressed this in an earlier media statement. However, I respected the decision and gave Mr Oberholzer and his deputy managing director Mr Songezo Nayo a commitment that I would not further pursue the matter until such time as the investigation is complete.
”The Citizen newspaper and publications of Naspers, among them News24.com and Die Beeld, have not once contacted me in the past month for any comment regarding the contents of the report.
”No publication presenting alleged content of the report has been in contact with me.
”I contacted Mr Nayo and Mr Abrahams on hearing of the media exposure and expressed my disappointment at the leaking of the information.
”I was well aware of various people within SA Rugby having read the report, based on conversations subsequent to my resignation. I assumed that these would remain in-house at South African rugby.
”Once the postponement of the King Commission was agreed to I gave a commitment to SA rugby that I would in no way attempt to derail the Springbok World Cup campaign by pursuing the matter publicly.
”I have instructed my legal advisor to take the matter further with the said publications and reiterate my willingness to make a contribution once the King investigation starts.” – Sapa