Confirmed: SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux forced to step down

SA Rugby president Mark Alexander has confirmed that the organisation’s beleaguered CEO Jurie Roux has vacated his position.

According to Rugby365.com, Alexander confirmed that Roux has left his post on 31 December 2022 after 12 years in office.

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Roux lost his appeal against the guilty verdict in the case related to the misappropriation of R37 million from the finance department of Stellenbosch University between 2002 and 2010, when he was head of the institution’s finance department.

While Roux is said to never have taken money for personal gain, Maties rugby club benefited from his actions, according to the courts, and Roux was ordered to pay back the misallocated funds to the university.

Jurie Roux initially didn’t show any intention of resigning from his post as SA Rugby’s Chief Operating Officer and was contracted until the end of the 2023 World Cup in France.

However, Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa put pressure on SA Rugby to speed up Roux’s departure, arguing that his position had become untenable and that Jurie Roux should vacate his post by the end of 2022.

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On Thursday, Alexander told various media outlets that Jurie Roux stepped down as Chief Operating Officer.

“Jurie Roux is no longer the CEO. He stepped down on 31 December as promised,” Alexander said.

“He served the organisation for 12 years and he added significant value to SA Rugby during his tenure.

“We must also look at what happened in 2016. In conjunction with the executive, when I took over, we crafted a strategic and turnaround plan for the organisation.

“And he was very key in crafting that plan. In 2016, we failed the transformation targets and came up with a strategic transformation plan and we see those results today. He was one of the drivers of that plan.

“Jurie Roux delivered only good service to SA Rugby. It’s unfortunate that things beyond ours and his control have forced him to step down from SARU.

“Jurie agreed to step down in the interest of the game and the organisation. That takes leadership.”