Panel upholds disciplinary sanction against former WP rugby president Zelt Marais

An independent appeal panel has upheld a disciplinary sanction of misconduct imposed on the former president of the Western Province Rugby Football Union, Zelt Marais, meaning he is ineligible to hold any rugby position at least until October 2034.

This comes as the union is about to host its elections to choose a new president and executive council to lead the union out of a period of administrative turmoil. Marais ran in these elections.

The former president was found guilty of several charges of misconduct, including bringing the game into disrepute and spreading misinformation, leading to the ban and a suspended R50,000 fine.

The charges related to “various statements made in communications to SA Rugby members and in public forums in 2022 and 2024”, a media statement from the South African Rugby Union read.

‘Total lack of remorse’

“Mr Marais was suspended for ten years from any and all positions in the South African Rugby Union (Saru), or any other Rugby Body, and from any and all rugby activities for breaching the Saru Code of Conduct,” Saru said.

“The independent appeal panel’s 61-page finding held that the sanction imposed by the judicial officer was ‘well motivated, among other things for the gravity of the charges, the fact that the acts of misconduct were ongoing, by a very senior office bearer of a member union who was well aware of his duties and responsibilities towards SARU’.”

The panel said it and the judicial officer had taken into account “the total lack of remorse on the part of the appellant, which continued right up to the appeal, his ongoing justification for his actions and in effect still claiming that he was fully entitled to say what he had said on the basis that that what had been stated was ‘the truth’.

“There had been no apology for his conduct, and in particular, no public apology for his public remarks. There was ongoing lack of remorse and every possibility that he would continue along this path unless sanctioned in the manner in which the judicial officer decided to sanction his conduct.”

As a result of the panel’s finding, Marais is ineligible to hold any position in rugby until October 2034.