SARU equity deal at the centre of parliamentary spat

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UPDATE: The South African Rugby Union's contentious equity deal is now centre to a public spat between the Sport, Art and Culture Portfolio Committee and Gayton McKenzie, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture.

As @rugby365com reported earlier this week, the Portfolio Sport Arts and Culture Committee has asked SARU to appear before it to explain and provide details of the proposed equity deal with the Ackerley Sports Group.

However, it is not just SARU that is in the crosshairs of the Portfolio Committee.

Gayton McKenzie, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, has been questioned by Joe McGluwa, Chairperson of the Sport Art and Culture Portfolio Committee, over his involvement in the equity saga.

McGluwa confirmed that he has fired off several questions to McKenzie.

Those interrogatories include his recent meetings with the United States-based Ackerley Sports Group in London last week, SARU (both in London and in Johannesburg this past week) and was also asked if he has met with any South African entities in regards to the equity saga.

However, the most telling question was whether McKenzie was guilty of "interfering in the business of rugby?'

It is not the first time McGluwa's committee has asked some tough questions of the minister.

Last month McGluwa asked the minister about his trip to the Olympic Games in Paris - at a reported cost of ZAR1.8-million.

This included the cost of eight other officials.

McKenzie was not happy with the line of questioning: ​"The Department and I answered the questions that were asked of us. I take exception to the aspersion you are implying that I was not transparent in my answers."

However, McGluwa was not deterred and stood his ground.

"It seems that he [Minister McKenzie] takes our oversight role very personally," McGluwa told @rugby365com.

"It has become a custom that, in some of the responses to questions in parliament, he has become very personal and unprofessional in his responses," the Chairperson added.

That falling-out could intensify with McGluwa's latest line of questioning - around the SARU equity saga.

"The portfolio committee won't stop asking questions until people have all the answers about [what is happening in] rugby," McGluwa told @rugby365com, adding: "It is their right to know.

"Rugby belongs to South Africa - not a person or individual."

SARU's appearance before the portfolio committee, originally planned for Friday, has now been postponed till 'sometime next year'.

@king365ed
@rugby365com

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