Elton Jantjies in-flight incident: What we know

Springbok and former Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies will appear in court on Monday following an incident during a flight from Dubai to Johannesburg on Sunday.

This is what we know so far:

Jantjies’ travel plans

According to a statement by the 31-year-old’s agents, InTouchSports, the flyhalf was travelling back to South Africa from Dubai after a holiday in Turkey. He was travelling alone, with his family still in Turkey. He is said to have landed on Sunday morning at OR Tambo airport.

What happened?

According to a News24 report, Jantjies was involved in an incident at a toilet cubicle. The report says Jantjies, who was in Business Class and had moved down to Economy Class, bloodied his fists banging on the door, while a flight attendant locked herself inside the cubicle. InTouchSports said in a statement: “While on board the plane, a light was damaged.” They added: “We believe the incident has been unnecessarily heightened.”

On arrival in Joburg

It is known that Jantjies was arrested on arrival in Joburg on Sunday morning for causing “malicious damage to property”. The player’s agents said: “Jantjies has been released and is not in police custody.” He was to appear in court in Kempton Park on Monday.

Who is Elton Jantjies?

The 31-year-old former Lions flyhalf and current 2019 World Cup-winner has played 41 times for the Springboks. He has also played for the Stormers in South Africa, as well as the NTT Shining Arcs and NTT Red Hurricanes in Japan.

Jantjies helped the Lions reach three consecutive Super Rugby finals between 2016 and 2018. He was a key member of the 2019 Bok World Cup winning squad, captained by Siya Kolisi.