Rugby is heading for more turmoil as Brian van Rooyen, the embattled president of the South African Rugby Union (Saru), faces the prospect of a revolt by rugby unions, sponsors threatening to pull out, and sanction from the statutory body that governs the country's sport.
During the next two weeks the rugby unions will join major role-players in the game to put pressure on Saru to act against its president and members discredited in a 338-page report released two weeks ago. Van Rooyen will be asked to go or will be severely sanctioned for breaching corporate governance rules.
The executive of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) will meet this week to decide what action to take.
The report found that Van Rooyen had breached good governance, displayed total disregard for his management committee and acted in an autocratic manner.
"As a national controlling body, Sascoc should ensure that all organisations maintain good governance," said Banele Sindani, its chief executive.
Earlier this week Mike Stofile, Saru's vice-president, and Oregan Hoskin, a member of the president's council, distanced themselves from Van Rooyen in the light of the findings.
Stofile told The Sunday Independent that if fellow members of the council saw nothing wrong in the report, then the public had to decide whether there had been any wrongdoing and whether rugby administrators had the interests of the nation at heart.
A grassroots desire to clean up the sport became apparent this week in the Griqualand West Rugby Union, whose members told their president, Barry Richards, they would not stand for mismanagement in the game. Richards had reportedly backed Van Rooyen.
Kenneth Carsten, the chief executive of the Griquas, said Richards told the union he had been misquoted and would present its strong views at the next president's council meeting.
"What is happening in Griqualand West reflects the views of other unions throughout the country," Stofile said.
On Wednesday the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union backed the stand of its president, Oregan Hoskins, against the governance abuses disclosed in the report. Pete Smith, the general manager of the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union, said there was growing support to stamp out bad governance.
Eugene van Wyk, the chief executive of Griffons Rugby Union, said it would meet on Wednesday to discuss the report, while Riaan von Gericke, the president, said if steps had to be taken the president's council would take them, but not in the media.
The groundswell of anger extends beyond rugby, with sponsors - including Sasol, the major funder of the national team - expressing concern and ordering Saru to get its house in order.
The report, compiled by Cape Town lawyers Jan Heunis and Adri Brand, was commissioned by Saru to probe allegations against Van Rooyen.
André Markgraaf, who resigned as Saru's deputy president earlier this month, told The Sunday Independent on Saturday he and Tienie Lategan, the former chairperson, felt vindicated by the findings of the report.
Francois Pienaar, former Springbok captain, World Cup winner and leader of the bid team for the 2011 World Cup, said South African rugby was not about individuals but about the people who supported the game.