Oberholzer’s presence a good news story for SA rugby
No elected official should have any influence or authority in financial decision-making when it comes to professional rugby in SA.
More so when that elected official is currently suspended because he and his embattled executive — who are also on suspension — had mismanaged the financial affairs of one of the oldest and most powerful rugby provinces in the world.
Zelt Marais is the person in question and Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) the entity in question.
Marais was this week once again in the public eye for all the wrong reasons and he unfortunately continues to be an embarrassment in trying to restart a fight he started — one in which he took a severe beating.
The SA Rugby Union, custodians of the game in the country, took the most drastic decision late last year in invoking its constitutional power to take administrative control of the WPRFU.
The union was a financial mess, there was no CEO, several independent board members had resigned and everything related to WP Rugby was troubling.
The ongoing tremors emanating from within the WPRFU administration transferred to indifferent performances from WP and the Stormers.
The respective coaches were unofficially doubling in duties to try and restore some form of “off the field” order.
They attempted to stabilise a stuttering boardroom situation that had scared off their best players.
The results on the field were not good, but that paled in comparison with the lack of results on an administrative level. SA Rugby’s leadership initially sought to resolve the situation by working alongside Marais.
It proved impossible.
The situation demanded independent expertise and there isn’t a more qualified rugby independent in SA than the ex-CEO of the SA Rugby Union, Rian Oberholzer, one of the early leaders of innovation and change in professional rugby.
Oberholzer was the original CEO of Sanzaar, based in Australia at the time before returning home to oversee SA rugby’s transition into professionalism.
Oberholzer was appointed administrator of the union’s affairs.
His mandate included overseeing a forensic audit and from the resulting rubble it was accepted that he would find solutions that would speak favourably to the union’s commercial revival.
It was no surprise that within six months Oberholzer restored trust with creditors, investors and commercial partners. His presence allowed the Stormers and WP head coaches to get on with the job of coaching.
In summary, it is a good news story in a rugby climate riddled with uncertainty.
SA Rugby president Mark Alexander openly spoke of the lack of co-operation from Marais and what was left of the collective administrative leadership at WP. Alexander had for months tried to find a resolution based on calm, but the ongoing chaos required a sledgehammer approach.
Alexander said “it was the last resort, but it became apparent the union’s leadership was incapable of putting in place the actions to regularise its position”.
Alexander said it was the Exco’s view the WPRFU had failed and “we could no longer distribute SA Rugby income in that knowledge”.
It was among the most important decisions made within SA Rugby and it has saved WP from financial disaster.
Marais, his tenure as president as much a sham as it was a shambles, this week should have been thanking Oberholzer and SA Rugby.
Instead, he launched a scathing attack on the very people who put him out of his misery. His suspension should be a permanent termination from serving in SA Rugby.