The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gaitan Mackenzie, issued a stern warning to the organizers of the Derby in Soweto, specifically the management of the South African Stadium (SMSA). He stated that if they do not sort out their affairs before the upcoming match at the end of this month, they will have to pay a high price.
Recent derbies have often turned into chaos for spectators. Viral videos demonstrated overcrowding and crushing inside the FNB stadium when the venue was filled beyond its capacity of 90,000 seats during the clash between Orlando Pirates and their arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs.
This created a threat not only to the game and the teams but, more importantly, to the lives of the fans, especially those who had purchased legitimate tickets to attend the event.
To limit overcrowding, combat counterfeit tickets, and prevent fatalities—similar to the tragedies at Ellis Park and Orkney, which are the deadliest incidents in South African football history—SMSA transitioned the ticket sales system to a digital format during the last two derbies. Furthermore, they provided a sufficient number of checkpoints, auxiliary staff, and security personnel inside and around the match venue, but this proved insufficient.
Mackenzie noted all the shortcomings, stating that his office contacted SMSA, as well as the office of the Minister of Police, headed by current professor Firoz Kachalia, demanding smooth operation for the match scheduled for October 31st at the Calabash stadium, which sold out on Wednesday afternoon.
Mackenzie emphasized: 'Chaos reigns at FNB stadium during the derby. We are discussing this with the stadium management—it should not be like this, and it won't be like this in the next derby. I told them to get their act together. I informed the police because there was little police presence at the last derby, which is unacceptable. I wrote a letter to the Minister of Police and highlighted all the mistakes made.'
Mackenzie expressed concern over how the Springboks team managed to conduct their penultimate match of the greatest rivalry series against the All Blacks at the same stadium with the same capacity, while problems occur at football matches. He compared the situations: 'How can you go to a rugby match with children, and they can go buy a drink themselves, and come back, and no one is sitting in their seats? In football, you have to fight. You can even be stabbed if you tell people, 'I am sitting here with children,' because there are people without tickets there: 'tsotsis' (hooligans) who intimidate ticket holders.'
Without labeling the entire world of football, Mackenzie added that SMSA is responsible for planning the event down to the smallest detail, without any obstacles, or serious consequences will follow. 'I told the stadium management that I would have them suspended. I will have them arrested if they cannot ensure the safety of our people. I want that to be clear,' he stated. 'How can the same people be at a rugby match and a football match, yet chaos reigns at the football match? Football fans are not savages. Let's not give the impression that they are.'
SMSA previously hosted the Scorpion Kings Live concert successfully after a rugby match, and Mackenzie believes that the Soweto Derby should be just as successful.