Johannesburg (AFP)
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) announced on Wednesday the launch of a lawsuit against Springbok player Eben Etzebeth, accused of racist insults and aggression before his departure for the Rugby World Cup.
The SAHRC said it will formally file a complaint against the second line on Friday in a court specializing in discrimination cases.
The Commission is also scheduled to publish on Thursday the results of its investigation into the case in Langebaan, north of the city of Cape Town (south-west), where the incident took place.
Eben Etzebeth is accused by several witnesses of insulting a homeless person and pointing a gun at him at the end of August in a private incident.
The 27-year-old rugby player categorically denied the facts before the SAHRC, who heard him just before he left for Japan, where the Rugby World Cup is being played.
"All these statements are false, I am, and I will always do everything to be, an ambassador for this beautiful rainbow nation and this sport that I adore," he said after the incident.
The South African federation then expressed his support.
The case caused a stir in South Africa, where the issue of racism is still sensitive a quarter of a century after the fall of the apartheid regime.
With 74 caps, Eben Etzebeth is a mainstay of the South African rugby team, considered one of the favorites of the World Cup that began in mid-September.
After being beaten by New Zealand (13-23), the Springboks easily won on Namibia (57-3) and face Friday Italy.
© 2019 AFP