By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux has been ordered to pay back the University of Stellenbosch R37 million, plus interest.
Roux allocated university funds without council approval in his role as senior finance manager from 2002 to 2010.
He was found to have misappropriated funds from the university while he headed its finance department.
A KPMG audit report found that he manipulated accounting software to transfer university funds between accounts without authorisation.
On Thursday the Constitutional Court of South Africa had dismissed Roux’s application for a leave to appeal, leaving him with no other legal options.
“The Constitutional Court has considered the application for leave to appeal and has concluded that it does not engage the jurisdiction of the Court. Consequently, leave to appeal must be refused with costs,” the ruling from the court read.
In July last year, Roux’s application for leave to appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein also failed. This came after he fought the Western Cape High Court judgment for him to repay the R37 million.
Roux left SA Rugby in 2022 but has since been used as a consultant.
He worked on the proposed equity deals with CVC Holdings and Ackerley Sports Group and is reportedly set to help organise the All Blacks’ eight-match tour of South Africa in 2026.