Kevin Kiewitz elected president as Western Province Rugby Football Union embark on new era

Kevin Kiewitz, who was elected president of the beleaguered Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) on Wednesday evening, has been tasked with leading their “new dawn” over the next couple of years.

After a delay in proceedings at the Cape Town Stadium, where the suspended former president Zelt Marais tried to gain access to the stadium to contest the election, the new executive committee was voted in, with Kiewitz and his second-in-charge, Moeneeb Levy, elected for the positions they stood for.

Kiewitz, a senior attorney, went up against Ruben Machelm and Ronald Bantom, and won with 54% of the votes, while Levy stood against Eugene Andries, Mario Williams and Machelm.

Shamila Sulayman was elected as the vice president, beating Vida Claassen, Anton Coosner and Anton Schelhase.

The executive committee comprises additional members Machelm, Schelhase, Andre Kermis, Bulelani Mlakalaka, Siyabonga Hani, Achmat Jacobs, Francois Bonthuys and Riaaz Khan.

Marais, who would’ve contested all of the available positions, was suspended for 10 years from rugby, and his appeal on that sentence was upheld by an Appeals Panel hours before the Special General Meeting and election took place.

Kiewitz is set to steer the union to calmer waters now.

For the next two months, the union administrator, Peter Jooste, who was appointed by the South African Rugby Union (SA Rugby), will assist the executive.

The national governing body will still oversee things until the administration ends towards the end of June.

The WPFRU have been in administration since the end of 2021 after falling into financial struggles with SA Rugby taking over.

In that time, they had to sell a controlling stake in the professional arm, the Stormers, to Red Disa Investments to secure the future of professional rugby in the province.

The sale or redevelopment of Newlands Rugby Stadium, to settle their reported debt of over R200 million with Flyt Property Group and Dream World Investments, will be next on the cards for the new executive.

This has been a contentious issue in the union, and it will be interesting to see in which direction the WPRFU go with their new leadership.