Elton Jantjies reveals he received ‘scary’ threats

Elton Jantjies has opened up on his experience dealing with his former representative, who the troubled Springbok flyhalf claims sent debt collectors after him.

Jantjies, who missed the final cut for the 2023 World Cup squad, faces potential suspension after admitting to the June test results reported to the SA Institute of Drug Free Sport.

A World Cup winner, the 46-Test playmaker is no stranger to controversy, after he was sent home while the Boks were in Argentina to face Los Pumas in 2022 following headline coverage of an alleged affair with team dietician Zeenat Simjee.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with the Daily Mail, Jantjies has addressed previous reports of agent James Adams having sued him over breach of contract because the veteran pivot owed him money.

It is understood that Jantjies then accepted a plea agreement in court and paid Adams’ company, In Touch Sports, an undisclosed sum in October 2022.

However, it is believed that Adams was still owed R483 528, for which Jantjies has claimed he was being pursued by gangsters.

‘Scary’

“There was one specific voice note I received which I’ll never forget,” said Jantjies, who previously played his club rugby in Japan and recently featured for Agen in the French D2. “The guy said, ‘We will go and f***ing take his rugby boots’.

“It was scary. With threats like that you have to be careful with your movements, especially in a place like Johannesburg. I contacted a few friends for protection. Now I’ve got bodyguards and security who can always be at my house if I need it.

“As a player, you don’t ever want to have to think about things like that. It didn’t sit well with me. I wanted to work out exactly how much money it was, why I was told so late, and how come it had all of a sudden come up now and not earlier.

“As a professional sportsman you get a lot of money, but you also have certain things where your money goes. You still live off a budget. We all have families and responsibilities.

“I’m not someone who can be told to pay [R483 528] on the Monday and do it on the Wednesday.”

‘Threats’

He added: “The threats first started with messages. Me and my wife were told if we didn’t make the payments, he [the agent] would go to lawyers. After the lawyers, it was the media.

“I never knew he would go to these extents with the messages I’ve received on WhatsApp, the emails he’s sent me, and the threats.

“When guys tried to contact me from Cape Town, I didn’t answer because I knew who two of the three were. I won’t name names. The third guy, who was the one I didn’t know, sent me that voice note. My family were in Japan at the time and waiting for me there. I was alone in Johannesburg.

“My wife told me the men were coming straight to my house and in South Africa, anyone can look in the book and find out where someone lives.”

Contacted by Daily Mail, Adams strongly denied the accusations made by Jantjies.

For the full Daily Mail interview click here.

This story first appeared on sarugbymag.co.za. It is republished here with permission. For the original story on sarugbymag.co.za click here.