SA Rugby

CEO of SA Rugby. Jurie Roux. Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP

LATEST: SA Rugby boss loses appeal, must pay Maties R37m!

SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux has been ordered to repay R37 million to Stellenbosch University, as well as legal costs, after losing an appeal.

SA Rugby

CEO of SA Rugby. Jurie Roux. Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP

At the end of last year, SA Rugby’s chief executive was instructed to repay R37 million to the University of Stellenbosch by advocate Alasdair Sholto-Douglas SC.

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Sholto-Douglas was appointed as the independant arbitrator in the dispute between Roux and the university regarding the alleged mismanagement of funds.

ROUX MUST PAY BACK THE MONEY

Roux held senior positions at the university between 2002 and 2010 and is alleged to have manipulated systems to channel millions into the Maties Rugby Club.

In 2013 an audit uncovered the alleged manipulation and also implicated Roux’s former colleague Chris De Beer.

Sholto-Douglas ordered Roux to repay the University of Stellensbosch to the tune of R37 million, but he subsequently took the matter up on appeal.

In the latest news, the Arbitration Appeal Tribunal panel dismissed appeals by Roux and his former colleague against the decision made in favour of the university in December 2020 by a single arbitrator.

The Arbitration Appeal Tribunal panel said: “Mr Roux’s strategy was in various instances glaringly evasive, consisting, as it did, of reams of bald denials in his ultimately amended plea. His evidence was no different – evasive and argumentative, and smacked of sophism.”

The panel comprised of retired SCA deputy president Judge Louis Harms, Chris Eloff SC and Mike van der Nest SC.

Roux will now have to pay the university R37 116 402 plus interest from the date of summons, while De Beer must pay R1 904  511.

They must also pay the university’s legal costs.

In the initial judgement from 2020, which was obtained by News24, the following was stated by the arbitrator: “In allocating the university’s funds to the four cost centres (without authorisation or budgeting) constituted a breach of his employment contract, which gave rise to the university suffering damages in the amount alleged in the particulars of claim, namely R35 312 004.

“I find also that he breached his contract of employment by incurring expenditure of R1 804 398 on behalf of the university in relation to the Western Province Rugby Institute when he was not authorised to do so and in circumstances where the university had not in fact incurred such an obligation.”

SA RUGBY DECLINED TO COMMENT

SA Rugby declined to comment on the matter beyond a brief statement when the decision first came to light.

“The Executive Council of SA Rugby has noted the reports of the arbitration involving Jurie Roux and his former employer, Stellenbosch University.

“We have referred the matter to our legal advisers for their advice on governance matters, as we have throughout this process.

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