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The winds of change are certainly being felt at the SA Rugby Union (Saru).
With the search for a Springbok coach, a management team and national selectors already in full swing, it has become known that three longtime stalwarts – Basil Haddad (head of finance), Steven Roos (operations manager) and Ismail Jakoet (medical chief) – will be retiring this year.
A Saru spokesperson confirmed this to City Press stablemate Rapport, saying that it would probably only happen at the end of the year.
The planned retirement of Roos, whose longtime responsibility has been to ensure that tests are played successfully nationwide under the Saru banner, will be a major blow to the union due to the loss of his experience and knowledge.
Several other moves have happened within Saru in the past 12 months.
One is Robert Mafuna’s recent decision to resign. He was Andy Marinos’ right-hand man when the latter was Saru’s commercial and marketing manager.
Mafuna, who is a mid-level manager, apparently stepped down because he was not appointed to Marinos’ post as expected.
Marinos has become the Sanzaar (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina) CEO, and Saru has since not made an announcement about his successor.
In another move, after Saru decided to dismiss André Watson as head of referees last year, it at last appointed Banks Yantolo in his place earlier this year. This after Rassie Erasmus filled the position. – Rapport
