Mckenzie urges collective action to solve ticketing, traffic and crowd issues at SA stadia

McKenzie, who was among the more than 101,000 spectators inside the 94,000-capacity venue during last weekend’s Soweto Derby, says the situation cannot continue as normal. Concerns around overcrowding at the iconic 2010 FIFA World Cup final venue have been raised since last year, when more than 110 000 fans attended another derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. After witnessing the challenges first-hand last Saturday, McKenzie says decisive action is now required.

"Then we look at the ticketing system, It's a mess. You get to your seat and somebody is sitting in your seat. You can be stabbed for telling a person to move. He will tell you 'Haai', and he's drunk at that time, and you're not a violent person," said McKenzie

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The minister revealed that it took him almost two hours to enter the stadium due to severe traffic congestion, with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) struggling to manage traffic flow outside the venue. One of the immediate interventions, according to McKenzie, will be to address rail transport challenges in collaboration with the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), to ease access to the stadium on match days.

"The stadium accommodates 94,000 people and once you 94,200 people in that stadium it's a recipe for disaster. This is not a new thing you are seeing as journalists, it has been there"

"But we can't just say, 'hey, something is going to happen.' We must do something to prevent that from happening. I have now taken the lead. I met with PRASA to ask them what is possible because with the rugby we opened the line there, Minister Creecy opened the line which was a brilliant intervention, now we are going to talk to Minister Creecy to open the line at FNB"

"We already  have the prices for the reopening of that line, which is R160 million. So we are going to meet Minister Creecy and ask if she could do the same intervention she did at Ellis Park because that will ease traffic."

The Safety at Sports and Recreation Events Act (SASREA), which regulates security and crowd control at sporting and entertainment events, clearly outlines the responsibilities of event organisers. However, enforcing these measures often increases operational costs, which can affect ticket pricing. McKenzie acknowledged that resolving these issues will require coordinated work from multiple stakeholders.

McKenzie has promised that the matter will be addressed with urgency, with government, event organisers, and security authorities working together to ensure that football supporters can attend matches in a safer, more controlled environment.