Ex-SA Rugby chief suffers another legal setback over fraud charges

Former SA Rugby chief executive officer Jurie Roux suffered another legal setback when he lost his latest appeal to avoid paying back ZAR 37m (c.GBP1.6m) to his employer, Stellenbosch University.

According to News24, Roux’s bid for leave to appeal the Western Cape High Court’s judgment for him to repay the money failed in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.

The Supreme Court justices Dumisani Zondi, Constance Mocumie, and Acting Supreme Court Judge Nozuko Mjali, handed down the judgement.

‘No reasonable prospects of success’

“The application for leave to appeal is dismissed with costs on the grounds that there is no reasonable prospects of success and there is no other compelling reason why an appeal should be heard,” the judgment read.

The latest failed application from Roux comes after a judgment from Western Cape High Court Judge Vincent Saldanha in 2023 that confirmed that Roux will have to pay back the money he owes the university plus interest.

An arbitration hearing ruled in 2020 that Roux should pay back the money and that ruling was held up on appeal in 2021.

The money was reportedly taken over a period of nine years from 2002 to 2010, when Roux had access to the university’s financial management system.

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The irregularities were investigated by KPMG and then taken to court, which determined that Roux and a colleague, Chris de Beer (then the deputy director of student fees), worked together between 2002 and 2010 where they made “unauthorised” transfers from the university’s reserve funds.

Roux’s latest setback at the Supreme Court of Appeal means he only has one legal avenue left to explore in the form of South Africa’s highest court, the Constitutional Court.

SA Rugby’s chief executive for 12 years

He served as SA Rugby‘s chief executive between 2010 and 2022 but due to his two arbitration appeals defeats the governing body parted ways with him at the end of 2022.

When approached for comment on the latest ruling, Roux’s legal representative, Frikkie Erasmus, said he had to speak to his client about their next move.

“It’s a bit premature for me to respond,” Erasmus told News24.

“I still need to take instructions, so I can only comment at a later stage.”

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