The following from News24:-
“They understand the importance of having people on stadium seats, and by extension keeping your vital Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit type of players,” the source added.
“In tough times already, you just won’t have a competitive enough team if they opt to go. We don’t want to have a Kings-type situation on our doorstep.”
Clearly in a move to soften the 25 percent pay cut move, all affected staff would be offered, under the plan, the equivalent figure in equity in the company - although that is effectively a bankrupt entity.
It would also represent removal of a sizeable chunk of equity that could potentially be offered, otherwise, to a private equity partner.
WP are currently the only major union in the country where they are the 100 percent - and amateur - shareholder in the company controlling the professional arm.
Sport24 understands that, under the direction of Wakefield and Zacks, WP have had several leasehold development deals over properties owned by them on the table for some time – with no lack of suitors - to ease the cashflow crisis, although they have been routinely blocked by Marais and others.
Both a banking/asset management company and a private school group, for example, are believed to have offered initial sums of around R20m over land owned by WP at Brookside in Claremont, the home of the Villagers club.
A senior official from a prominent club in the WP fold, asked for his pre-election thoughts, said: “What Western Province needs is to break away from its track record of poor governance and to show some inspiring vision and leadership … I’m not sure that’s been presented by any candidates, without wishing to sound harsh.
“Zelt Marais is a nice, likeable guy but he hasn’t inspired anything for me to get excited about. None of the candidates have inspired any confidence, really, and it seems like it will be more of the same; there is no reason to think otherwise.”
Bigger names in the more than 100-strong club fold, it is understood, would generally not be enthusiastic over pay cuts to the professional staff, realising the importance of competitiveness at that level, but more minor ones might buy in due to the hope of some benefits to them.
*Asked for comment on his plans for the presidency should he assume the hotseat, Marais said he could not engage at present because WP Rugby had in its code of conduct that only the president and CEO could communicate with the media.
He added that the embargo might be lifted in the week leading up to the elections.”
It is indeed that the oldest provincial rugby side in SA is systematically being destroyed financially by BSters elected by the amateur Clubs based on what the clubs could get out of the franchise. It has nothing to do with the professional game requirements and is typical of what to expect from the serial looters operating in SA.
When Rupert tried to get the franchise out of trouble by lending them R40 million - he found that the franchise is a looter's paradise and walked away demanding the return of the R40 million.
It is time to get rid of the looters and turn the franchise into a professionally controlled outfit run by professional managers - not the Looters Inc running the franchise for the past six years. They turned the wealthiest rugby franchise in SA into a bankrupt institution in the space of 6 years.
