McKenzie calls for postponement of SA Rugby equity deal meeting
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has urged the postponement of a crucial SA Rugby meeting regarding a proposed equity deal with US-based Ackerley Sports Group.
The meeting is set to take place on Thursday.
In an open letter to SA Rugby president Mark Alexander, McKenzie highlighted the necessity for thorough consultation and transparency.
Notably, seven of SA Rugby's 14 member unions oppose the Ackerley deal, advocating for a delay to protect the interests of SA Rugby and its members.
They are also calling for an alternative proposal to be presented in three months. For the ASG deal to go through, 75 per cent of the unions would need to back the plan.
Read McKenzie's open letter:
"Dear President Alexander, I trust you and your team are well amid the enormous interest and scrutiny that is currently being brought to bear on the pending commercial decisions at SARU.
"Let me start off by thanking you for our previous engagements and your assurance to me that the stake in the SARU Commercial Rights Company to Ackerley Sports Group will not exclude South Africans, and that indeed the deal has South Africans in it.
"I also appreciate your assurances that this deal is, in effect, not the sale of an important South African sporting asset to American owners, ultimately robbing the country of a say in a uniquely South African brand, the Springboks.
"This is one thread of the narrative that is circulating across the media, and it is leading to heightened concerns, which may not even be warranted.
"That being said, it is always important that levels of consultation and information sharing are adequate in matters such as these, especially when regarding matters of significant public interest.
"I would therefore like to humbly request that tomorrow's scheduled meeting to decide on the way forward with your members be postponed so that I can be fully apprised of the particulars surrounding this proposed deal, or any deal that may be agreed to through your structures.
"I request this simply so that I will be in an informed position to answer the constant stream of questions that are being directed towards me, including from my colleagues in Parliament and Cabinet. I trust that my request would be favourably considered."
