(Carl Fourie/Gallo Images)
SuperSport has confirmed that Ashwin Willemse will not be back on television now that his contract with the company has expired.
It has been over three months since Willemse stunned South Africa on May 19 by walking off a live set during a Super Rugby broadcast, claiming that his colleagues Nick Mallett and Naas Botha had “undermined” and “patronised” him.
What followed was a media storm that resulted in an internal SuperSport inquiry.
Race was at the centre of the nation-wide debate that followed the incident, and as a result all three presenters were taken off air by SuperSport while remaining on full pay.
Mallett, in particular, came in for heavy abuse on social media for an alleged history of speaking down to Willemse.
Mallett and Botha have since returned to the studio, while Willemse and his legal team have remained quiet.
Following the internal inquiry, Willemse said that he would be elevating the matter to the Equality Court, but SuperSport confirmed to media on Thursday that they had not yet heard from the Equality Court.
Instead, they are in communication with the Human Rights Commission, as per the instruction that came from Advocate Vincent Maleka SC’s report after the inquiry.
SuperSport would not open up on whether or not there were negotiations
The in-studio panel for this weekend’s Rugby Championship match between the Springboks and Australia will be Xola Ntshinga, Victor Matfield, Breyton Paulse, Botha and Hanyani Shimange. — Sport24