Cape Town — The five executive members of the Western Province Rugby Football Union who were suspended by Zelt Marais have been cleared of the charges brought against them in a disciplinary hearing.
Then vice-president Ronald Bantom, Quintin van Rooyen, Reuben Riffel, Mario Williams and Anele Zita were charged in October last year with being in breach of the WPRFU’s codes of conduct by then-president Marais.
Marais initiated the disciplinary process before he was suspended as president, with the South African Rugby Union taking administrative control of the embattled union.
The hearing took place on April 9, with the results of the hearing being released by the DC Chairman, Ricardo Collins, on Tuesday. The charges against all five executive committee members were dismissed.
“Having had due regard to all the evidence presented, written representations made, the tribunal found that the respondents did not act in contravention of the WPRFU bye-laws, code of conduct or that of the IRB,” Collins said in his findings.
Following Marais’ suspension of his dissenters, only himself and two others — deputy president Moneeb Levy and Nadeema Khan — remained on the exco. Levy later resigned.
IOL Sport