The assault case against Eben Etzebeth has been dropped after it was found there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the Springbok lock.

In the buildup to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Etzebeth and his cousin, Emile, were charged with assault following an incident outside a night club in Langebaan involving two local residents.

“The Acting Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nicolette Bell, has declined to prosecute Emile and Eben Etzebeth on counts of assault, stating there were ‘no prospects of a successful prosecution against the two men’,” IOL reported.

Western Cape spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Eric Ntabazalila, said: “In evaluating the representations, the prosecution consulted the two independent witnesses, upon whom reliance was placed to institute the prosecution.

“The evaluation revealed that one of the independent witnesses could not identify the assailant who assaulted the two complainants, whilst the initial identification made by the second witness could not, following the consultation, be relied upon to sustain a prosecution.”

Based on these circumstances, Bell came to the conclusion that “there are no prospects of a successful prosecution. I therefore decline to prosecute Emile Etzebeth and Eben Etzebeth”.

In 2020, SA Rugby’s independent investigation relating to claims about the alleged racially charged incident involving Etzebeth in Langebaan also cleared the Bok lock of any wrongdoing.

SA Rugby instituted the internal investigation into the matter in October 2019, but following the completion of the investigative report the governing body was advised not to make it public for legal reasons.