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The police have a critical role to play in safety at sporting events, and if the investigation determines they were partly to blame for the weekend’s violent pitch invasion at a football match then there will be consequences, says Parliament’s police committee.
Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairperson, Dr Irvin Khoza, said on Monday that there was inadequate deployment of the South African Police Service at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, where violence erupted after a soccer match on Saturday evening.
Hundreds of angry fans leapt the perimeter fencing and went on a rampage at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, after Kaizer Chiefs lost 2-0 to Free State Stars in a semifinal cup match.
A security officer was hospitalised but was later discharged. Television footage showed him being repeatedly kicked in the chest and beaten with a plastic chair by rioting fans.
Before Saturday’s match, police officials didn’t show up for a planning meeting on security, Khoza told a televised news conference in Johannesburg.
“You can’t implement what you don’t have plans for,” he said.
The chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on police, Francois Beukman, said if it was true it was cause for concern, because the police had a critical role to play as per the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act.
“This investigation must be expedited to ensure that any shortcomings are addressed as a matter of urgency,” Beukman emphasised.
“The use of violence to highlight unhappiness remains a worrying trend in the country and requires societal introspection, as vandalism of infrastructure does not resolve anything.”
Both the police and the premier league’s disciplinary structure would investigate the matter.
“We will be probing if the deployments of SAPS, security personnel and other security agencies were in place according to the plan, and whether those that were deployed to provide security event reacted as they were expected to,” police spokesperson Jay Naicker said.
One arrest hads been made and others would follow, he said.
“From the league’s perspective, while crimes or unlawful acts of public violence are being committed in their presence, the South African Police Service is required to be properly prepared and to immediately act,” Khoza said.
On Sunday, Sports Minister Tokozile Xasa called for answers and swift action by the PSL.
Meanwhile, the PSL confirmed that Kaizer Chiefs would appear before a disciplinary committee next Thursday.
Coach Steve Komphela has since resigned from his post with Chiefs assistant coach Patrick Mabedi taking on the position in an interim basis.
The South African Football Association has called on members of the public to assist the police in identifying those responsible so that they can charged as soon as possible.
This is the second time Chiefs have been charged by the PSL this year following crowd trouble last month at the FNB Stadium.
Fan violence at soccer matches has a history in South Africa. Forty-three people died and 158 were hurt in a stampede during a match between Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in 2001.
A commission of inquiry called by then President Thabo Mbeki blamed inadequate training for stewards and lack of coordination between police and stadium management. It found no criminal or civil liability against the clubs, the league or stadium management.
– Additional reporting by Reuters and News24
