Former Springbokcoach Peter de Villiers has joined the Jacob Zuma-led uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.
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‘The UMkhonto weSizwe Party in the Western Cape proudly welcomed former South African Springboks coach Peter de Villiers into its ranks, marking a significant milestone for the party.’
‘The event was spearheaded by the deputy president of the party and leader of parliament, Comrade Dr. JM Hlophe, who led the facilitation process and discussions that highlighted De Villiers’s impressive contributions to South African rugby and his vision for the future,’ the party said in a statement.
‘This welcoming signifies a commitment to unity and empowerment within the party, as they strive to harness De Villiers’s experience and leadership skills to further their goals of unifying the people of the province as a whole.’
De Villiers, who was previously a member of the GOOD Party, was dismissed in March last year over allegations of sexual misconduct and was later charged with sexual assault and crimen injuria.
Rumours of his affiliation with the MK party circulated after he was reportedly seen at former judge John Hlophe’s farm, another recent recruit to the party.
Springbok coaching record
De Villiers, now 67, coached the Springboks from 2008 to 2011, with a controversial defeat to Australia in the 2011 Rugby World Cup quarter-final coming at the end of his tenure.
While not everyone’s cup of tea while at the helm of the Springboks, under Peter de Villiers’s leadership the national side won 30 of their 48 Tests.
That 62.5% win percentage included a 47% win percentage against the All Blacks, having played them 11 times, winning 5 and losing 6 of those matches.
It has been a tragic last couple of years for De Villiers.
In late 2019 he lost his daughter, Odille Monk, after a brave fight against cancer aged just 28.
Then in April 2022, De Villiers’s wife’s body was found floating in a swimming pool in Gqeberha having tragically drowned.
Smart move by the MK party signing Peter de Villiers?
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