Eben Etzebeth, the Springbok lock accused of racial abuse, has filed court papers asking for the case being brought against him to be set aside.
A group dubbed the Langebaan Four by the media are bringing the case against Etzebeth with the support of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
The demands include a payment of over R1 million, and that Etzebeth should apologise, undergo anger management therapy and perform community service.
Etzebeth, who is currently playing for the national rugby side in Japan, has reportedly claimed that the SAHRC had told him prior to his departure that the matter would be investigated and he would be afforded an opportunity to respond once he had returned to the country.
The SAHRC, he claims, abandoned this process, proceeding to the Equality Court and launching a media campaign against him. This was due to ‘political pressure’, and because the SAHRC lacked the courage to make an ‘unpopular’ decision on the matter.
The allegations against Eztebeth have drawn much attention. Among others, editor-in-chief of News24 Adriaan Basson suggested he return from Japan, as his presence in the squad risked tarnishing its achievements.
The conduct of the SAHRC’s acting legal head, Buang Jones, has been particularly controversial. He reportedly said in a public forum that Etzebeth was ‘used to getting away with murder’, that he ‘always got away with it’, that ‘he should be in a prison cell in Langebaan’ and that this case would ‘set an example’. The SAHRC instructed Jones to refrain from further media commentary, although it denied ‘silencing’ him.
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