WP official to hear fate after racial incident

Cape Town - The hearing of Western Province Rugby Union (WPRU) vice-president Gerald Njengele has been postponed until February 25.

Njengele is to face the music after an alleged racial incident.

Advocate Norman Arendse, who will conduct the hearing on behalf of the Western Province Rugby Union (WPRU), confirmed to Netwerk24 that proceedings had started on Monday.

“It was a pre-trial to discuss procedures, dates and times,” Arendse told the Afrikaans website.

Reports of the incident surfaced in December last year and is believed to have occurred at the Cape Town Sevens on the weekend of December 9/10.

Njengele was accused of launching a verbal and racial attack on Jessie Claassen, who is the national manager of the Vuka Rugby Programme - a SA Rugby-affiliated initiative that aims to cater for rugby development in the country.

Claassen said that the attack stemmed from his decision not to shake Njengele's hand due to a previous altercation between the pair last August.

When this happened, Njengele allegedly responded: "F**k you white people, f**k the coloureds. I'm a clever darkie. I don't need your f*****g money."

Njengele denied that he made those comments.

WP president Thelo Wakefield said last month he wanted the matter to be "concluded as soon as possible so the public knows".