Eastern Province Rugby Union deputy president Bantwini Matika will remain in his position at the union despite his controversial comments about Nick Mallett.

Matika took to social media to share his unhappiness after reports that Mallett was asked to help the Kings find a new coach following the departure of Deon Davids. In the Facebook post, which has been removed, Matika labelled Mallett as a racist and said the former Springbok coach was against transformation in rugby.

Despite calls from Kings chair Loyiso Dotwana for Matika to be removed from his position as deputy president of the EPRU, the union has declined the request.

In a statement made to Netwerk24, the EPRU claimed there was an element of truth in what Matika said.

‘We as clubs believe that there was merit in some of the things that Matika said, even though the platform he used may not have been the most appropriate,’ the statement read. ‘There were rumours of more changes to the Kings coaching and management teams without our knowledge or participation. It’s not acceptable.‘

However, Matika’s postion on the Kings board is still under fire, with shareholders set to hold a meeting to decide whether to keep him in the professional arm of the franchise.

Photo: Gallo Images