Former Springbok rugby coach Peter de Villiers. Picture: Gallo Images/Rapport/Theo Jeptha
The GOOD party has suspended former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers as a councillor after allegations of sexual misconduct.
GOOD said it received a complaint about De Villiers from another member in its party.
De Villiers served as a councillor in the Drakenstein Municipality in the Western Cape.
“GOOD’s constitution is unambiguous on gender relations and gender-based violence. The constitution applies to all members, regardless of position,” said the party’s secretary-general Brett Herron on Friday.
Herron said although De Villiers’ suspension does not mean he is guilty, it does reflect the seriousness of the allegations.
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GOOD said disciplinary processes will take place to determine if De Villiers breached its constitution
“Given the sensitive nature of the allegations, the party will, for now, be making no further comment on the matter.”
De Villiers ran for mayor of Drakenstein in the 2021 local government elections.
At the time, he said he could become anything after being the Springbok coach.
“When I grew up during apartheid, politics were part of our DNA. Every day we lived in a struggle. We had strategies on how to combat, how to win, how to overcome.”
He also said he wanted to narrow the gap between the rich and poor in South Africa.
On his mayoral candidacy, the GOOD party said De Villiers knows the pressures of expectation and the powers of teamwork.
“He also understands the cycle of poverty, and the difficulties people of colour face when they break free of their historical cast.
“He has eaten at some of the poshest tables in Paarl, and also [at] many of the poorest.”
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