'Very concerning': Jantjies' wife breaks silence, slams Springboks

Iva Jantjies has broken her silence after her husband Elton was sent home by the Springboks last Sunday following newspaper allegations of an affair with team dietitian Zeenat Simjee. A statement from team management at the time read: “Springboks management are aware of reports regarding fly-half Elton Jantjies and team dietician Zeenat Simjee between the training camp in Sabie and the Test match against New Zealand in Mbombela earlier this year.

“No team protocols were breached, but the individuals are returning to South Africa to attend to these personal reports and to eliminate any distractions to the team’s preparations for the Test against Argentina. No further comment will be made at this time.”

In an exclusive interview published on Wednesday by news24.com, Iva Jantjies revealed that she only learned about the story involving her husband via a social media post that she claims she had to read three times to make sure she had read it correctly.

She explained that she and her husband are talking all the time and that he is expected to return to Japan next week, but added that she would “probably not” remain romantically involved with him after what allegedly happened in Mbombela last month when the Springboks played the All Blacks.

According to the story last Sunday in Rapport, the 32-year-old Jantjies booked into a guesthouse away from the Springboks team hotel and eyewitness reports alleged that romantic exchanges took place between the player and staff member Simjee.

Iva Jantjies stated that she was shocked Springboks management claimed that no team protocols were breached by this alleged behaviour and warned it will concern the wives of the squad’s other players. “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.

“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.”

The Springboks are in currently in Argentina ahead of this Saturday’s round five Rugby Championship match in Buenos Aires which will be followed by the tournament’s concluding match versus the Pumas in Durban on September 24.