A top Sharks executive has been suspended amid reports of maladministration at the franchise after a forensic investigation of its financial affairs.
Internal procedures are under way between the Sharks and the official, who has been with the franchise for more than 21 years and who was promoted at the same time John Smit took over as chief executive last year.
News of the allegations surfaced in May after problems were red-flagged by the Sharks’ auditing company, KPMG.
A forensic investigation followed and the official was suspended.
The franchise’s top brass is tight-lipped about the nature of the problem and the internal procedure, but said they would make the information public once the legal process was complete.
Previous reports have said the allegations involve the issuing of unauthorised benefits.
KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union president Graham Mackenzie confirmed the official’s suspension, but could not disclose any details.
He said the union had no intention of staying silent, but had to wait until the process was over.
“There is a legal procedure under way, so we cannot report on anything at the moment,” Mackenzie said. “But we have said that we want to be transparent and so when the process is complete we will make a statement.”
He said the official had the right to appeal against an unfavourable ruling.
Former Sharks chief executive Brian van Zyl – who has been lauded for turning the Sharks into a commercial success – is also in the dark over the report, even though the offences were said to have been committed on his watch.
When news of the audit report and the forensic investigation first surfaced, Van Zyl was considering his legal options as he felt his association with the findings – without the knowledge of the report’s contents – was possibly defamatory.
On Friday he said he was “still annoyed” that his name had been brought into the matter without his having been privy to the report’s contents.
“I was not involved in the suspension… I wasn’t even part of the committee that was examining the report,” Van Zyl said.
As far as he was aware, the allegations involved issues “of a housekeeping nature” and the payment of commissions.
Van Zyl, who retired as chief executive last year after taking the reins in 1994, reiterated his belief that the investigation’s findings should be made known to him since his tenure at the Sharks had been associated with the matter. - The Mercury