Zelt Marais has laughed off the attempt by disgruntled clubs to table a motion of no confidence in the leadership of the president of the Western Province Rugby Football Union.

“There are no grounds for a motion of no confidence,” Marais reportedly said in an email issued through the union’s media channels.

According to Netwerk24, the union’s constitution requires a meeting to be convened at the request of at least 10 clubs, and more than double this number reportedly asked for a special meeting to be adjourned so that a motion of no confidence could be tabled.

This latest development in a continuing saga followed a week of drama in which Marais and Ebrahim Rasool (the chairman of WP’s professional arm) locked horns after Marais allegedly failed to circulate a letter related to the contentious sale and redevelopment of Newlands Stadium and a proposal to enter into a transaction with Staytus Cape.

The letter was intended to be issued by the WPRFU’s advisory committee to the members of the board or the clubs. Marais is a member of this committee and is known to be opposed to the proposal.

Rasool belatedly realised that an online meeting of the main council, a precursor to a vote on the proposed transaction, would not be able to proceed without the letter and he took action to circulate the letter himself.

However, Monday’s board meeting ended without a vote with Marais saying this was because of a lack of information.

“The council decided not to vote on the Staytus proposal because information of critical importance is still outstanding. In its current format, it does not give the WPRFU the necessary peace of mind in the short, medium and long term,” he said.

“In other words, the WPRFU expects an absolute guarantee from the development company to protect its assets and/or share of its investment, as well as greater certainty about its future cash flow.”