Western Province Rugby Football Union President Thelo Wakefield has paid tribute to former WPRFU President Koos Basson, who passed away on Saturday.
Mr Basson, a long-serving rugby administrator and former SARU Vice-President, had recently become ill with a heart condition and was discharged from hospital last Monday.
He passed away at home during the Springboks' match against New Zealand, doing the thing that he most enjoyed in life, watching rugby, said his widow, Stella. Basson was 74.
Basson served as the WPRFU President between 2001 and 2006, and current president Mr Wakefield said: “Our thoughts are with Koos's family, especially his wife Stella, we wish them all the strength during these tough times.
“Koos was a strong leader, with a strong personality, but, most importantly, he was a Western Province man through and through.
“He played a big role during unity, in bringing us all together, and I would personally like to thank him for everything that he did for Western Province Rugby. Koos Basson was loved by all and respected by everyone too. He will be missed by everyone at WP Rugby!”
Mr Oregan Hoskins, President of the South African Rugby Union (SARU), also paid tribute to Basson. “This is very sad news indeed,” he said.
“Koos was a great friend and a wise counsel to whom we could always turn. His passion for the game ran bone deep and he served South African rugby with distinction in many roles for more than 30 years.
“I will personally miss his support and advice and the game is poorer for his passing. His was a life of service to rugby. Our thoughts and prayers are with Stella and the rest of the family.”
Koos
Basson was born and bred in Stellenbosch – where he qualified as an attorney in 1964 – and began his long and distinguished association with the game in 1968 when he was appointed to the Western Province disciplinary committee – a role he was to fulfill for the next 30 years.
He was also elected to the Western Province council – another post he held for more than 30 years – and eventually rose to the highest office in the union when he was elected president in November 2000.
He held that responsibility until 2006 when he had to relinquish it for higher office, when he was elected as Vice-President of SARU, having already served at a national level as a member of the disciplinary and appeals panels for eight years in the 1990s.
He also served as a director on the board of the former SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd for three years until his elevation to the presidency.
In addition, he was as a director of the South African Sports Science Institute and chairman of SANZAR's disciplinary structures for five years. He also served as a member of the IRB's judicial structures for more than a decade and remained a serving member of the SARU National Judicial Committee at the time of his death.
He was a partner in Cluver Markötter, for whom he still consulted. He also co-edited of a book on South African sport law.
He is survived by Stella, two children and three grandchildren.
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His funeral will take place at the NG Moederkerk Stellenbosch at 11h00 on Wednesday, September 18.