‘Dark plan to promote Sharks’

Unsigned letter to media to trash former rugby CEO

ASHADOWY plan to promote the Sharks has emerged following the publication of a damning letter by the franchise’s former chief executive, Brian van Zyl.

The plan involves journalists being approached to publish articles attacking the former rugby chief executive. The articles were pre-written by unknown authors and distributed by the Sharks’ social-media manager.

This follows recent tumult at the franchise involving the resignation of John Smit leaving a leadership vacuum and a raft of allegations and counterclaims, including ones of financial instability.

An investigation by The Independent on Saturday has revealed the following:

Contracted Sharks social-marketing manager Chris Micklewood asked a Durban journalist to publish a comment piece discrediting Van Zyl.

Micklewood tried to persuade East Coast Radio sports journalist Gareth Jenkinson to publish the piece under the reporter’s own byline in the interests of certain unnamed role-players.

When the journalist refused on principle, Micklewood found another writer, blogger Benedict Chanakira, under whose name the same article appeared in sister newspaper, The Mercury.

Micklewood admitted to being an intermediary in the distribution of the article.

Micklewood and Chanakira have denied any wrongdoing.

Van Zyl’s original letter had alleged the Sharks were in dire financial straits and the debt had arisen since his retirement.

He claimed this period of decline fell under the leadership of outgoing chief executive Smit and the current president of the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Football Union, Graham MacKenzie.

In the letter, Van Zyl reopened old wounds by reiterating his opinion of Smit, calling him too inexperienced to take office. He also took swipes at MacKenzie.

In response, a statement was penned by Smit in sister newspaper, the Daily News almost a week later rejecting the claims made by Van Zyl.

On the same day, Micklewood set up a meeting with Jenkinson that was attended by MacKenzie.

At the meeting, MacKenzie said he anticipated an article written by Jenkinson based on information supplied by MacKenzie, but without indicating the rugby union president as the source.

The same day, Micklewood e-mailed Jenkinson a prepared article containing numerous claims not widely known by the public, including allegations of poor administration and financial irregularities during Van Zyl’s tenure, as well as questioning the timing of Van Zyl’s submission to The Mercury. The letter was unsigned.

Jenkinson refused on moral and ethical grounds to put his name to the article.

A week later, a letter almost identical to the one sent to Jenkinson appeared in The Mercury’s opinion pages. The letter bore the name Benedict Chanakira, a rugby blogger for the website Ruggaworld.com.

On the website the same article appeared under the same headline, but with a byline indicating its writer was one Joe van der Orent.

A search of publicly available documents suggests Joe van der Orent does not exist.

Micklewood, who had been in possession of the letter a full week before it was published, said he did not write the letter.

During a meeting with The Independent on Saturday this week, MacKenzie denied outright he had any involvement in the production of the letter.

After several denials, Micklewood this week also conceded Chanakira had not written the comment piece, despite earlier claiming he had.

Chanakira was contacted regarding his authorship of the letter, and the blogger maintained it was his, despite Micklewood admitting he had sent the letter to Chanakira.

Van Zyl declined to comment at the present time.