[imagesource: AFP]

Finally, after what can kindly be described as a protracted saga which has damaged the reputation of SA Rugby, we may have reached the end of the road.

Before taking over as CEO at South African rugby’s head organisation, Jurie Roux was employed by Stellenbosch University, which has led to a long-running legal battle.

We’ll return to that saga in a moment.

It’s now being widely reported that the CEO and SA Rugby are finalising a “separation agreement”. By the end of next week, reports Sport24, Roux’s time as CEO could be over:

It is understood that the CFO, Abubakar ‘Boebie’ Saban, could step into an acting CEO position after Roux transitions into his new role as a consultant, focusing on the imminent private equity deal with CVC Capital Partners.

The publication spoke to two SA Rugby executive council (board) members, who said they knew of the “separation agreement”, but stressed that Roux was “not fired”.

That sounds a little like Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow saying they hadn’t broken up, instead choosing to ‘consciously uncouple’.

One of the sources went to great lengths to stress that legally, there were no grounds to fire Roux. The CEO is said to earn around R5 million a year in his current role and if somebody puts their foot in their mouth, he could walk away with a sizeable settlement:

“SA Rugby is very careful not to say the wrong thing because a person leaving might look for ways to make the maximum amount of money,” Sport24’s highly-placed source said.

“Things like constructive dismissal or ‘getting pushed out’, those are things SA Rugby is looking to avoid.”

When asked for comment, Roux’s lawyer, Frikkie Erasmus, was very forthright in his denial, saying that “there is no separation agreement to comment on”.

At the heart of the issue is the small matter of R37 million, related to Roux’s time with Stellenbosch University. He served as a senior director of finance between 2002 and 2010 and is accused of moving money to the university’s rugby club without the necessary authorisation.

An explainer from Sport24 offers a succinct summary of what has since followed:

This matter came up after Roux had left the university to join SA Rugby, from where a forensic report fingered him and Chris de Beer, who at the time was the deputy head of student fees at the university…

The university, after finding the wrongdoing against Roux through a KPMG report, has subsequently won two arbitration awards against him.

In December, Roux was ordered to pay the university R37 million. Another court battle is set for October 19 at the Western Cape High Court, with the university pressing for those arbitration awards to be enforced.

Roux has never given the impression that he would voluntarily step down from his role. The “separation agreement” may have been kicked into gear by Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa, who is said to have been pressuring SA Rugby to hasten the CEO’s departure.

It might be shrewd to announce the news this weekend, while rugby fans are focusing on the Sevens World Cup taking place in Cape Town.

Roux would likely then stay on for a handover period.

[sources:sport24&sport24]