KwaZulu-Natal SAPS intelligence officers are working to identify individuals who were posting inflammatory messages and recruiting others to stage protests near Moses Mabhida Stadium for the Nedbank Cup Final between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs after a ticketing mishap angered fans.
This is according to Deputy Provincial Police Commissioner, Major General Phumelele Makoba, who was speaking at a state of readiness briefing at the stadium on Friday.
After tickets went on sale on Monday, the Open Tickets platform crashed due to the volumes of people, and as a result, according to stadium management, more tickets were sold than the allowed capacity of just under 50 000.
A soccer fan, who requested not to be named, said he purchased a ticket online on Monday and later emailed the ticket platform that day when his ticket was not issued.
He said the service provider advised him that the ticket would be issued in the next few days. “I thought I was going to get the ticket on Thursday, but then they told me that I needed to go and get a refund because the ticket system was oversold.”
Makoba said police have noted a number of misinformation and inflammatory messages going around various social media platforms, with some people recruiting others to stage protests on routes and around the stadium, while others vowed to force their way inside the stadium without tickets.
She said the SAPS do not take any threat lightly. “Our intelligence officers are at work, identifying those individuals who are hellbent on creating chaos on the day of the match.”
Makoba highlighted that intelligence on the ground alerted police to the anger and frustration of supporters. She said the planning team had to revise the operational plans, considering the potential threats as advised by the intelligence team.
“Those who have threatened to block certain roads are advised to reconsider that idea because closing of roads is a criminal offence and police will act accordingly,” she said.
According to Makoba, in addition to operations being beefed up on the ground, the police service’s air capacity will play a major role in identifying areas of concern from the sky.
“The stadium precinct is practically our red zone, and no one without a valid matchday ticket must come closer to the stadium. Police will provide tighter security to ensure that only those with valid tickets access the stadium.
“Anyone who is found selling tickets, whether fake or authentic, will be arrested and locked up,” said Makoba.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said a man was detained on Saturday after he was found selling matchday tickets that were issued to sponsors.
“He was also found in possession of wristbands which were meant to be distributed to service providers. He will be processed accordingly,” he said.
In addition, to beef up security in and around the stadium, certain routes which were going to be partially closed will now be fully closed, with plans in place not to cause heavy traffic congestion.
“As much as the attention will be at the stadium and the City of Durban, our operational plan goes beyond that, and our deployment plan was designed to deliver a safe and secure 2025 Nedbank Cup Final,” she said.
Makoba advised that the intelligence team continues to provide police with early warnings. She further stated that police were initially concerned about the venue due to the ongoing construction in and around the stadium.
“As required by the SASREA Act, all certification, including the most important one, the Grading Certificate confirming the safety of the stadium and its readiness to cater for a 51,000 capacity crowd, (allaying our fears),” she said.
She noted that all event protocols, including risk categorisation, were done and SAPS are comfortable with the venue, adding that the finalised Event Safety Plan incorporates Traffic Management and Disaster Management.
