Jurie Roux: Will he, or won't he?

REACTION: The Jurie Roux saga continues to garner banner headlines – most of which suggest his fate is sealed.

Since the beginning of the year, there has been a flood of reports that suggested Roux will be ‘kicked out’ or ‘axed’ as Chief Executive Officer of the South African Rugby Union.

At the weekend there appeared a new batch of reports of his imminent departure – which may well be as egregiously exaggerated as those before.

Previous reports suggested:
* ‘Jurie Roux is gone.’
* ‘Jurie Roux and SA Rugby’s ‘separation’ a matter of days.’

The same online publication that four weeks ago ‘exclusively’ reported his departure was a matter of ‘days’ away, at the weekend changed its tune to the ‘end of the year’.

It was suggested that a SARU Presidents’ meeting this past Thursday discussed Roux’s exit plan.

The report also claimed the ‘notice period’ will run until 31 December.

However, Roux’s lawyer Frikkie Erasmus told @rugby365com – as he did on several previous occasions – there is nothing formal on the table.

“No written agreement has been reached between the two parties [Roux and SARU,” Erasmus said.

Asked if there are discussions underway, Erasmus said: “There have been discussions for some time, but nothing has been finalised.”

These are not the first cluster of articles regarding Roux’s position as South African Rugby Union CEO, related to his long-standing legal battle with his former employer, the University of Stellenbosch.

SARU on several occasions made it clear they are going to “follow the letter of the law”.

Unlike the court of public opinion – where the ‘guilty on all charges’ verdict has already been handed to Roux – the national body has to go through a painstaking process to avoid future legal challenges.

There is also the matter of a review of the arbitration process – set for 25 January 2023 – in which Roux will look to overturn the ruling that he pays back more than ZAR37-million (and interest) for alleged damages suffered by the University of Stellenbosch.

The arbitrator, in the civil matter, published his award on 23 December 2020. Roux appealed and this appeal was dismissed a year later.

This is now taken on review.

Only time will tell if Roux will see out the term of his current contract, which runs till after the World Cup next year, or if he will depart early with a handy hand-out from SARU.

@king365ed
@rugby365com

* Related …

Jurie Roux: Both sides of the coin
Don’t pop the champagne corks yet
Fake news: SARU v Roux report dismissed
Why SARU are ‘biding their time’
Jurie Roux: Parliament backs SARU
SARU breaks their silence on Roux saga
CEO is ordered to pay back ZAR37-million