SARU boss responds to 'kick-back' claims
Alexander was responding to recent articles in which he was criticised for his support of disgraced South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee CEO Tubby Reddy and suggestions that he took 'kick-backs' for arranging sponsorship deals.
Alexander was one of only two SASCOC board members who voted against implementing the recommendations of advocate Anton Myburgh – who chaired a disciplinary inquiry against Reddy, Vinesh Maharaj and Jean Kelly from December 4 to 7.
Myburgh's report was a damning indictment of the trio. He recommended that all three employees are summarily dismissed.
Alexander's support of Reddy resulted in calls for him to step down at SARU boss.
However, the most damning report against the SARU President came from opprobrious dirt-digger Graeme Joffe – who fled South Africa three years ago, putatively because his life was threatened.
Joffe claimed Alexander chose to be loyal to his 'bad buddies' (at SASCOC) because is one of the 'SA sports mafia'.
He also stood accused, by Joffe, of taking 'kick-backs' for arranging sponsorships.
"I am sick and tired of being the target of what is a plain and simple smear campaign," Alexander told rugby365, when asked for reaction to the personal attacks.
"If the writer has evidence, why has he not handed it over to the appropriate authority?" he added.
Here is just one of the claims Joffe made in a recent report, published by the BizNews website:
"In April 2010, SARU renewed a very lucrative contract for Megapro to be their official, exclusive commercial agent.
"The Primedia Group were the majority shareholders of Megapro at the time of the deal and the company was run by George Rautenbach.
"But how did Megapro get the deal done without it going to tender as other companies had also put in proposals.
"The answer…
"Then SARU deputy president and Chairman of SANZAAR, Mark Alexander, was promised ZAR500,000 per year of the five-year contract to push the renewal through and he went along with it.
"A 'kick-back' of ZAR2.5-million."
Another line in the Joffe report read:
"Alexander’s business record is also pretty revealing. He had been a director of seven companies that had gone into voluntary liquidation since 2000.
"And despite all of this, he was elected unopposed as SARU president in 2016."
Alexander took the moral high ground and called for Joffe to "produce his evidence".
Joffe did publish a few screengrabs of documents, suggesting it validates his claims (see pictures below).
By Jan de Koning
@rugby365com
@king365ed
* To read the entire Joffe article, CLICK HERE!
