Eben Etzebeth

Springbok 2019 Rugby World Cup winner Eben Etzebeth. Photo: Adrian DENNIS / AFP

Eben Etzebeth: Fresh claims of drunken behaviour emerge

The plot thickens in the Eben Etzebeth saga as fresh accusations of disorderly conduct against the Springbok lock emerge.

Eben Etzebeth

Springbok 2019 Rugby World Cup winner Eben Etzebeth. Photo: Adrian DENNIS / AFP

A Langebaan resident has come forward and made claims that Eben Etzebeth was involved in a dispute at the Yacht Club in the seaside town on the day he was alleged to have racially abused two men.

This week the Human Rights Commission filed four applications in the Hopefield Magistrate’s Court, with the two complainants – Enver Wilsenach and Siyaad Smith – each seeking R1 million compensation for an alleged assault against them.

It has now come to light that Etzebeth, currently with the Springboks Rugby World Cup squad in Japan, was allegedly involved in a drunken incident at the yacht club.

Fresh claims of disorderly conduct by Eben Etzebeth

The incident, as described to the Weekend Argus by an anonymous witness, also had racist overtones.

The witness claims that Etzebeth and a group of friends entered the club without an accompanying member, as per the rules of the establishment, they are alleged to have been drunk and behaving aggressively.

A row is believed to have started when a member of the club, identified only as a coloured person, asked one of Etzebeth’s party to remove their cap.

“The club’s rules state that you are not allowed to wear a cap inside the facility. Also, it is against the rules for a non-member to enter the club without being accompanied by a member. Eben and his friends are not members of the club,” the person told the publication.

“They were rude and were swearing at the coloured members. They were displaying macho behaviour. They approached the coloured members and that’s when the drama started.” 

SAHRC are apparently eager to visit the club who may have video evidence of the incidents from their security cameras.

FF Plus chip in

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald came to Etzebeth’s support on Saturday.

Groenewald said that the tone and content of the SAHRC’s official communications were painting Etzebeth as guilty before any court proceedings had even begun.

“The statements made by Mr Buang Jones, the national legal head of the Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), on Thursday during a meeting in Langebaan about Eben Etzebeth’s alleged use of hate speech are extremely premature and biased.

“The HRC is supposed to do its work without prejudice, as Jones rightly pointed out, and yet Jones said that the HRC wants to use Etzetbeth to set a so-called example, thus, the HRC has already found him guilty without giving him an opportunity to defend himself.

“The FF Plus condemns all forms of racism against any member of society. The HRC clearly has double standards as the Etzetbeth case is being handled with the utmost urgency, while other complaints, like those against the leader of the BLF, Andile Mnqxitama, regarding his racist statements and hate speech are not given the same kind of attention.

“One would expect a more responsible approach from the HRC, like allowing Etzebeth to return home after the Rugby World Cup and then giving him a fair opportunity to defend himself against the allegations of hate speech.

“The HRC is supposed to protect the human rights of all South Africans, including Etzebeth’s.

“The HRC has acted extremely irresponsibly and it is utterly unacceptable that they have already labelled Etzebeth as guilty during a public meeting and in the media even though he has not been found guilty. A person is supposed to be considered innocent until proven otherwise and not the other way around.”

Etzebeth has ten days to file an answering affidavit, the Springbok denies any wrongdoing.