Oberholzer on planned protest: 'It serves no purpose'
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Stormers’ first United Rugby Championship match at their official home is set to be overshadowed by a planned protest.
On Wednesday, Cape Town Stadium was officially announced as the home of Western Province Rugby after the signing of an Anchor Tenant Agreement.
The deal is set for 99 years.
It was a bitter-sweet moment for WP Rugby as talks of a protest preluded the announcement.
On Tuesday, a group named Rugby People of the Western Cape released a statement which revealed they are planning to protest at the Stormers’ URC match against the Sharks on Saturday at the Cape Town Stadium.
The goal of the protests is the removal of the South African Rugby Union-appointed administrator Rian Oberholzer.
In a statement, the group emphasised that their grievances are not with the Stormers, but directed towards SA Rugby’s ongoing administration of WP Rugby.
They also demanded a suspension of all financial decisions including the agreements on the usage of the Cape Town Stadium, potential equity partners, and Newlands and other property transactions.
According to the statement, the group expect SA Rugby president Mark Alexander to collect their memorandum of demands.
When asked about the planned protest, Oberholzer said: “It’s everybody’s democratic right to have a demonstration and the authorities have agreed on the demonstration.
“We believe it will be peaceful and all we can hope for is that it does not affect the game between the Stormers and Sharks on Saturday.”
#NEWS: A new chapter for the City of Cape Town, the stadium and WP Rugby. 👇#Stormers #URC #CurrieCup #ChampionsCup #WPRugby https://t.co/p00KjVHbgC
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) March 1, 2023
‘Complete’ the task
The agreement between Cape Town Stadium on WP Rugby is one of three major tasks Oberholzer has been assigned since the former SA Rugby CEO has been appointed WP Rugby’s administrator in October 2021.
He said the closer he comes to completing his mandate, the more he is met by challengers Oberholzer revealed after the media briefing.
“The Anchor Tenant Agreement is one of three major tick boxes for us. We still have to sort out the equity deal and Newlands Stadium,” Oberholzer said.
“However, the closer we move to complete these three goals there is more interest and on some occasions, it gets taken too far.
“What is important is we have to get the best deal for WP Rugby, not for individuals nor for factions within the organisation.
“We have put forward a proposal [regarding Newlands Stadium] to the Council, which will be in the best interest of WP Rugby.
“The Council would then have to decide if they want the deal or not.
“The General Committee of WP owns the stadium and the equity. However, to cause an uproar and the protest serves no purpose.
“The process is so far from complete we still have to put the legs of deals together and then present it to the SA Rugby Finance committee and then the clubs to decide.”
He also added: “The General Committee decided to move to the Cape Town Stadium, not the current administration, therefore we have to do something with Newlands.
“They decided to sell the majority share of the company [Western Province Professional Rugby]. It was never the administration’s decision to sell Newlands Stadium and it was never my decision to sell the equity, it was always the Council’s.
“I’m only here to complete what they decided on and can only give them an update on the process.”
At this stage, there is no clarity regarding the fate of the Newlands Stadium, the former home ground of Western Province rugby.
💯 @THESTORMERS coach John Dobson has signed a contract extension which will keep him at the helm until at least 2027
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