Unpaid players at the EP Kings are fed up and have applied for the Eastern Province Rugby (Pty) Ltd to be liquidated.
The rugby players’ representative organisation‚ MyPlayers‚ confirmed that an application for liquidation was brought through their trade union Sarpa against EP Rugby (Pty) Ltd.
The players believe they had explored all the available avenues open to them following the weighing up of their legal options as well as “lengthy consultations with the various stakeholders concerned‚” they said in a statement.
“Due to the ongoing financial position of the EP Rugby (Pty) Ltd and the reality of settlement agreements being entered into with certain creditors‚ the players had no option but to bring this application against their employers‚” said Eugene Henning‚ Managing Director of MyPlayers.
“It was always the intention of the organisation to find a balance between the interests of the players and those of rugby in South Africa.
“Litigation was not necessarily the first choice‚ but the recent preferential treatment of creditors gave us no option but to bring an application for liquidation.
“The severe hardship of players over the past few months has been well documented and the least we can do as an organisation is to ensure their rights are protected and executed on‚” added Henning.
EPRU president Cheeky Watson‚ who is potentially facing a vote of no confidence at a delayed annual general meeting tomorrow‚ said he would seek legal opinion on the matter.
“We had constructive talks with the players’ organisation before the liquidation application was brought to us.
“We understand the legal reasoning as to why this decision was taken by the players and will seek an opinion on how best we will approach this matter.
“We will‚ however‚ continue to have discussions with Sarpa on this issue as well as the relevant stakeholders on how best to resolve the situation‚” Watson concluded.
Eastern Cape rugby players head to court after months of non-payment
The rugby players’ representative organisation‚ MyPlayers‚ confirmed that an application for liquidation was brought through their trade union Sarpa against EP Rugby (Pty) Ltd.
The players believe they had explored all the available avenues open to them following the weighing up of their legal options as well as “lengthy consultations with the various stakeholders concerned‚” they said in a statement.
“Due to the ongoing financial position of the EP Rugby (Pty) Ltd and the reality of settlement agreements being entered into with certain creditors‚ the players had no option but to bring this application against their employers‚” said Eugene Henning‚ Managing Director of MyPlayers.
“It was always the intention of the organisation to find a balance between the interests of the players and those of rugby in South Africa.
“Litigation was not necessarily the first choice‚ but the recent preferential treatment of creditors gave us no option but to bring an application for liquidation.
“The severe hardship of players over the past few months has been well documented and the least we can do as an organisation is to ensure their rights are protected and executed on‚” added Henning.
EPRU president Cheeky Watson‚ who is potentially facing a vote of no confidence at a delayed annual general meeting tomorrow‚ said he would seek legal opinion on the matter.
“We had constructive talks with the players’ organisation before the liquidation application was brought to us.
“We understand the legal reasoning as to why this decision was taken by the players and will seek an opinion on how best we will approach this matter.
“We will‚ however‚ continue to have discussions with Sarpa on this issue as well as the relevant stakeholders on how best to resolve the situation‚” Watson concluded.
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