South African Rugby has launched an investigation into the death of a player, Vizicelo Sebenza Zondani who died on Saturday during a tournament held near King William’s Town, 60km north of East London in the Border region.
Zondani played for Border Rugby Club in the tournament despite the earlier cancellation of all amateur games for the year 2020 following the Covid-19 pandemic.
South African Rugby President Mark Alexander described the death of the player as tragic and stating that the competition should not have been held.
He said “This is a tragic incident that should never have happened, and our hearts go out to the family, friends and teammates of Vizicelo,” he said in a statement from the union on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, this goes directly against our COVID-19 guidelines around return to training, as all amateur rugby matches have been suspended for the year due to the pandemic and all our unions, clubs and other bodies know this.
“This tournament should never have taken place and we will launch a full investigation into the incident, as well as the tournament.”
