Officials sent by SA Rugby to mediate conflict between Border Rugby Union members were left with little to report back to the mother body as the two camps could not find common ground on the legitimacy of the body’s recent elections.
The mediators spent Tuesday and Wednesday at the Hemingways Hotel in KuGompo City overseeing a reconciliation meeting between the newly-elected executive led by Theo Mvalo and that of pre-election executive member Asanda Simoyi, who is opposing the structure.
Simoyi initiated the process of the mediation team being sent to the region by SA Rugby.
He wrote to the mother body asking for intervention regarding the legitimacy of the recent BRU elections held at the union’s AGM two weeks ago.
Simoyi wanted SA Rugby to declare the elections invalid.
He raised concerns that certain procedures were not followed during the process.
Among those were nomination list timelines not being met and the verification list of eligible clubs not being presented.
He also claimed the nomination notice period was 29 days and 10 hours, not the required 30 full days.
He also raised that he had postponed the elections, but his order was disregarded.
Simoyi assumed the role of acting president after the resignation of Zuko Badli before the elections that were chaired and given the go-ahead by vice-president Siphokazi Njani took place.
He stated that clauses in the BRU handbook gave him the right as the union’s acting president to postpone the elections.
Mvalo had previously argued the reason Njani stepped in was that Simoyi was allegedly “absconding” from his duties by refusing to release the AGM agenda and attempting to halt the meeting.
The negotiation meeting started at 10am on Tuesday and ended at 6pm.
A further two hours with SA Rugby were needed on Wednesday before the warring parties broke away into their own meetings.
Mvalo was flanked by Mzingisi Douw, Phumelele Hlati, Siphokazi Njani, Buhle Ntsebeza, Vusumzi Joni and Zongezile Mdoda, who form part of the structure that was elected two weeks ago.
Simoyi was accompanied by Fani Ndzingo, Sizwe Sodinga, Thembalethu Bhenuka and attorney Sinawo Makangela.
Among the suggestions brought by Mvalo’s camp was for its newly-constituted executive to step down and open up vacancies to be contested at a special meeting in 21 days.
But that proposal was shot down by Simoyi’s faction.
Instead, Simoyi’s group recommended that a task team consisting of Mvalo and Simoyi and supporting personnel hold the fort until the next election date.
But that proposal was thrown out by Mvalo’s group and was labelled outside the union’s constitution.
Another option that was raised by the Mvalo camp was the creation of a second deputy president position to accommodate a member from Simoyi’s entourage.
This was also dismissed by Simoyi and deemed unconstitutional and unheard of.
Mvalo confirmed their offer.
“We thought they would come with a proposal to go to elections again. We proposed to accommodate them by having elections in 21 days, but that was refused.
“They wanted a task team, but we could not do that because we were elected by the vast majority in the union and we couldn’t share power with a disgruntled minority,” Mvalo said.
Attempts to get comment from Simoyi were unsuccessful by the time of publication as he was locked in a meeting.
According to his camp, he is in consultation on way forward.
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