South African Rugby Union (Saru) president Brian van Rooyen expressed regret on Tuesday that the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) has called on the top leadership structure of his organisation to step down.
Van Rooyen said his organisation shares Sascoc’s view that the continuing public dispute among the leadership of rugby is detrimental to the game in South Africa.
However, Van Rooyen said SA Rugby and Sascoc agreed during meetings that the rugby body will convene an extraordinary general council meeting to decide on the status of the current leadership, and help resolve the ongoing dispute.
”That process is already in place,” said Van Rooyen. ”On Thursday [May 26], we are convening a meeting of the president’s council to help us prepare for the extraordinary meeting scheduled for June 17. That meeting will review and elect key leaders of the organisation.
”All due processes are being followed. We can’t arbitrarily dismiss elected officials without taking into account the constitution of SA Rugby.”
Van Rooyen, vice-president Mike Stofile and CEO Johan Prinsloo met with the parliamentary portfolio committee on sport on Tuesday to brief the committee on developments regarding the Super 14 franchises and the 2011 World Cup Bid.
Meanwhile, Prinsloo moved swiftly to ensure stakeholders that the present misunderstandings among elected officials and the call from Sascoc for the resignation of some of the leaders have not affected the operations of the game.
Prinsloo said SA Rugby is working very closely with the CEOs of the 14 SA Rugby provincial unions, the sponsors and various other stakeholders to keep rugby programmes on track.
”There is an unfortunate misunderstanding in various circles that the current leadership problems have had a negative impact on the game,” said Prinsloo.
”In fact, the contrary is true. The staff and management at SA Rugby work around the clock to keep rugby programmes on track, in association with sponsors and provinces.”
Prinsloo paid tribute to his staff, the unions and the sponsors for showing commitment to the cause of rugby, in spite of the negative media publicity the game has had to face in recent weeks.
”From the administration side, it’s business as usual. We are a commercial enterprise created to run rugby as a business. The brands and businesses of SA Rugby are for SA Rugby to oversee, and I am confident we are doing a good job.”
Prinsloo cited the success of the current Springbok camp as an example of the way key stakeholders have worked together for the benefit of the game.
”Our players, team management and the sponsors operate above these challenges. We are not involved in the political challenges happening at other levels.”
MPs scrum down
Earlier on Tuesday, MPs scrummed down against Van Rooyen, criticising what they said is his lack of leadership.
And his own deputy, Mike Stofile, admitted to the parliamentarians that Saru is ”indeed in a state of paralysis”.
The two men were appearing, along with the presidents of the Eastern Province, South Western Districts and Border rugby unions, before the National Assembly’s sport portfolio committee.
The meeting took place before the midday announcement that Sascoc and Stofile were calling for Van Rooyen and other senior figures in the union to step down.
African National Congress MP Tsietsi Louw told Van Rooyen that he has been elected to lead the organisation.
”My question is a simple one: Why are you failing to give leadership to rugby and why is the executive failing to lead rugby?” Louw asked.
Other MPs described South African rugby as a ”rudderless ship”, told Van Rooyen there are ”anarchists” in his organisation and said it is clear rugby has fallen into a state of paralysis.
One of them, Cas Saloojee, even suggested serious consideration be given to setting up a commission of inquiry.
”If that is not done, you are just going to go into crisis after crisis,” he said. ”Something drastic has to be done.”
”It’s very difficult to lead if you get a direction from the minister, then you get a direction from Sascoc, then you’ve got the sponsors in between. The trust between the leadership of South African rugby has been broken down to such an extent that we cannot continue to work,” Van Rooyen replied.
Saloojee said an agreement was reached with Sascoc that Saru would go into elections on June 17 and that office-bearers would submit themselves to the judgement of ”the electorate” of SA Rugby.
”If I do have the support of the electorate, I will continue,” he said.
”The day that I do not have the support of the electorate, I will step down gracefully and say, ladies and gentlemen, you do not want me. Thank you very much.”
He said the Saru president’s council is the controlling body of the organisation, and that the thorny issue of the Super 14 franchise will be dealt with there. — Sapa