Publications
- Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies' wife Iva has spoken out after allegations emerged of an affair with the team's dietician.
- Iva said she was "not sure" how she felt about the relationship.
- Over the weekend, SA Rugby said in a statement that Jantjies and the dietician were sent home to "attend to these personal reports".
It was a social media post that alerted Iva Jantjies to allegations that her rugby star husband Elton Jantjies had an affair with Springboks dietitian Zeenat Simjee.
In an interview with News24 on Wednesday, Iva said she had to read the social media post three times because she wanted "to make sure [she had read it] correctly".
Iva expects her husband to return to their home in Japan next week.
She said she was "not sure" how she felt about the relationship.
"We have been together since 2014 and had our ups and downs like every other couple. I have always been there to support him through good and bad times, and I still am. When we met, he was not even part of the Bok squad, we worked really hard for him to achieve his goals and dreams. [I] sacrificed so many things, including my career and my dreams," she added.
She maintains she will "still have love" for Elton "no matter what happens from here".
She said:
However, she added that she would "probably not" remain romantically involved with Elton.
Elton's lawyer, Nabeela Moola, said she had not received any instructions from her client about the allegations.
According to Iva, Elton denied the allegations.
"We are speaking all the time. He is very disappointed. I think it's also good for him to distance himself for the Bok squad and process everything," she said.
She added that the public spotlight made it difficult to process the allegations.
"South African people are very opinionated and they like to share their options no matter if they are positive or negative. On the other hand, the support and kind messages I am getting from so many people is beyond consoling and I will forever be grateful for that," she said.
Over the weekend SA Rugby said in a statement they sent Jantjies and Simjee home to "attend to these personal reports and to eliminate any distractions to the team's preparations for the Test against Argentina".
Iva said she was shocked by "how lightly this has been taken".
READ | Jantjies bombshell opens new Bok flyhalf door: Who should be next?
"This is very concerning for all the Springbok wives as none of us was aware that this behaviour is actually not breaking any rules and it's taken so lightly… It's very disappointing for a World Cup-winning management to allow situations like this to be created inside the team environment."
The Springboks are in Argentina currently.
Sources told Sunday publication Rapport that Jantjies, 32, booked himself into a guesthouse outside of the team's hotel during their stay in Mbombela last month.
It is alleged that Jantjies also failed to pay the guesthouse R26 000 until the owners complained to the South African Rugby Union (SARU).
Jantjies, it was said, then paid R21 000 before a final R5 000 was paid upon Rapport's enquiry.
The report includes eyewitnesses who alleged that there were romantic exchanges between Jantjies and Simjee.
The Boks face Los Pumas at Estadio José Amalfitani in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
Jantjies was arrested in May over allegations that he caused damage on a flight from Dubai to Johannesburg.
The charges were withdrawn in June, and reports stated that they were dropped after he agreed to pay for the damage.
