Former deputy president of the South African Rugby Football Union (Sarfu) Keith Parkinson reiterated on Wednesday that the main reason for his resignation was that he had lost confidence and trust in the leadership of SA Rugby.
Parkinson said his resignation on Tuesday was incorrectly being portrayed as being prompted by the ”seemingly unilateral” deal cut with the players in Australia by SA Rugby board chairperson Theunie Lategan and Sarfu president Brian van Rooyen.
”This is nonsense,” said Parkinson. ”The problem here is purely one of process.
”The fact is that whilst these discussions were being held with the players on Friday, I was locked in meetings with our attorneys and an advocate, briefing them on behalf of Sarfu in preparation for the looming CCMA [Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration] hearing set for Thursday July 22.
”At the very least I would have expected some communication from Brian and Theunie from Australia if our strategic decisions in relation to Sarpa [the South African Rugby Players’ Association], and agreed to at Exco, were to now radically change.”
Parkinson said he had only been phoned at lunchtime on Sunday July 18, two days after the event, by Lategan.
”This call lasted no more than 10 minutes and certainly not two hours as stated by Brian van Rooyen.
”It was also not a consultative call, but an informative one, to belatedly let me know the details of the promises and commitments that had been made to the players.”
Parkinson was responding to comments made by Van Rooyen on Supersport’s programme Boots and All on Tuesday night, and on radio station SAfm on Wednesday morning.
He added that in his letter of resignation there were eight major issues that were of personal concern to him and ”did not refer to merely the AJ Venter incident as Mr Van Rooyen seems to suggest”.
Parkinson said his main reason for leaving was that he had been uncomfortable for some time at Sarfu and SA Rugby.
”Hence the meeting with the president on July 7 to try and resolve my problems, but obviously to no avail.
”Having unfortunately lost confidence, trust and some respect in the leadership of SA Rugby, I am now merely doing what I believe is the right and honourable thing to do in the circumstances — resign.” — Sapa