Springbok Eben Etzebeth has recounted in his new book Unlocked of how he confronted a group of men known as the “Langebaan Four”, after they accused him of assault and using a racial slur against them.
The towering star made headlines in 2019, shortly before the start of the Rugby World Cup in Japan, after a brawl outside a pub in the Western Cape.
The highest-capped Bok – whose case was later withdrawn by the NPA – even faced hate speech charges by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
Unlocked was released last week and is available in all major bookshelves.
EBEN ETZEBETH CONFRONTS ‘LANGEBAAN FOUR’
In an excerpt of Unlocked, Eben Etzebeth shared how he confronted four men who accused him and his group of pals of assault after a brawl outside a pub in Langebaan.
The men – known as the “Langebaan Four” – also demanded R1million in compensation from the Springbok in a civil case.
Despite the sensitive nature of the charges, Etzebeth was permitted to join the rest of the squad at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The rugby player claimed he explained his version of events to coach Rassie Erasmus, who was satisfied with it.
Images via Instagram: @ebenetzebeth4
In his memoir, Etzebeth accused the men of being “opportunists who clearly wanted to make money” and the SAHRC – who encouraged the men to press civil charges in the Equity Court – as “opportunists who wanted to make political profit from the situation”.
Eben Etzebeth shared how he confronted the men after he returned home from the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
He wrote: “I sat down with the four of them and said: ‘I hear you want to make a million so that this thing can go away.
“If you ask me for R10 right now, I still wouldn’t give it to you.
He added: “I know I am innocent and you don’t have a leg to stand on”.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The weekend before the Springboks departed for Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Eben Etzbeth and his family and friends visited the Langebaan yacht club for drinks.
At the club’s pub, an altercation broke out between Eben and coloured members after the Springbok, a non-member, was asked to remove his cap.
Things escalated again after the group moved to the Watergat nightclub. Outside, another altercation ensued after Etzebeth stated that bystanders threw bricks at his car and friends.
According to various media reports from 2019, four men – Elner Wilsnach, Mogamad Shiyaad-Smith, Kay-Lee Davids, and Yorayda Papier – accused Eben Etzebeth of calling them a racial slur.
Their lawyer Nigel Samuels stated that Etzebeth told the complainants: “Wat soek julle h*tn*tte so laat op straat?” (“What are you h*tn*ts doing out so late?”)
Etzebeth was accused of assaulting Wilsach and Shiyaad-Smith with his gun.
The NPA withdrew criminal charges against Etzebeth in 2021, claiming that the evidence against the sports star was “unreliable.”
An internal SA rugby investigation also cleared him of any wrongdoing. The Equity Court has not ruled on the civil charges.
EBEN ETZEBETH: ‘I NEVER USED A RACIST SLUR’
In Unlocked, Eben Etzebeth vehemently denied using a racial slur.
He wrote: “I never use racist slurs. It’s simply not in my nature, no matter how angry I get. I wasn’t some isolated, bigoted white guy who never mixed with people of colour. My three best friends in the Bok team were Siya [Kolisi], Beast [Mtawarira] and Cheslin [Kolbe]. None of whom are white.”
He added: “This is South Africa, where race is a sensitive nature. I knew there was going to be trouble”.
