South Africa's lock Eben Etzebeth gestures during the captain's run training session at the Ecopa stadium in Shizuoka on October 3, 2019, during the Japan 2019 Rugby World Cup. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)
The Eben Etzebeth affair had a new twist on Monday, with the Springbok lock now intending to take the Human Right Commission (HRC) to court.
Bongani Majola, the HRC chair, confirmed to Netwerk24 that the commission has been served legal papers from the 27-year-old’s attorney.
“We received the documents on Monday,” he said.
“I’m busy working through them. We still have to determine exactly why he’s taking us to court.”
However, it’s been speculated that Etzebeth’s legal team will focus on controversial public remarks made by Buang Jones, the HRC’s legal head, over the player’s alleged involvement in several unsavoury incidents in the Langebaan area shortly before the Springboks’ World Cup squad announcement.
Jones had told a community gathering earlier this month that the commission would “make an example” of Etzebeth as he’s been “used to getting away with murder”.
The saga has polarised public discourse.
In addition to charges of hate speech, the police are also investigating several potential criminal charges against the senior Springbok.
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