A rugby fan who is reeling from an assault occasioning grievous bodily harm has expressed worry with the long wait for the justice system in Bloemfontein to finalise the case against his alleged assailant, Schübel O’Reilly. The case was postponed indefinitely again on Friday (25/08) in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court.
O’Reilly is the former manager of union referees and a referee. He stands accused of allegedly assaulting a fan, Isaac Molapo, after a Currie Cup semifinal between the Free State Cheetahs and the Golden Lions played in Bloemfontein during October 2016.
He was subsequently fired following the brutal assault and uttering of racial slurs, which took place within sight of members of the public inside the Free State Stadium. Molapo was hospitalised in Bloemfontein with severe bruises to his face and body. He was treated for soft tissue injuries and swelling and bruising to his lower back, shoulder, legs, face, and head.
With other assailants the victim was unable to identify, O’Reilly allegedly punched Molapo until he fell to the ground and repeatedly kicked him. This was in the heat an altercation over a rugby referee’s T-shirt the victim was wearing on the day of the match. Molapo explained the T-shirt was a courtesy gift from the internationally acclaimed South African referee Jaco Peyper, who will referee at this year’s men’s Rugby World Cup in France where the top 20 nations will compete for the coveted Webb Ellis trophy from 8 September to 28 October.
According to the court documents of a pending civil lawsuit case in the Free State High Court, O’Reilly and the other men allegedly uttered racial slurs while demanding to know where Molapo got the referee t-shirt and further accused him of having stolen it.
“It has been a very frustrating seven years, with a lot of questions regarding the state’s ability to seriously deal with such cases as mine. I do not know if justice will be served. The accused and his friends are out there and not held accountable for racially assaulting me. What should one do to get justice?,” asks Molapo.
In pursuit of justice, he instituted a civil lawsuit worth R1,1 million against the Free State Rugby Union, the Free State Cheetahs Company, and O’Reilly.
