By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) strongly condemned the alarming incident at the Harry Gwala Stadium where supporters invaded the pitch and fired guns.
Chaotic scenes unfolded at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Friday when gunshots rang out at the conclusion of the second ABC Motsepe Championship semi-final between Orbit College and Msinga United.
In a statement DA said, “guns have no place in sports stadiums or any public gathering. Stadiums should be safe spaces for unity, enjoyment, and healthy competition among sports enthusiasts.”
Orbit College won the game 1-0 to qualify for the final and also promote themselves into next season’s Motsepe Foundation Championship, but the end of the game was marred by a pitch invasion that saw gunshots pierce the air.
An eyewitness who was at the ground said, that the Msinga United fans were aggrieved by referee Masixole Bambiso’s officiating, from where they tried to storm the referee and the Orbit College players.
“At the end of the game, the Msinga United fans got onto the field and wanted to approach the referee and the match officials,” the eyewitness said.
“One of the security personnel, I don’t whether it was the police or not, fired a warning shot in an attempt to scare off the Msinga United fans.
“However, the Msinga United fans brandished their own weapons and responded with their own warning shots.
“The warning shot from the security personnel was understandable with the need to protect the Orbit College during the pitch invasion.
With the game falling under the South African Football Association’s ambit, the footballing governing body condemned the incident, saying that type of hooliganism had no place in football.
“We have asked security and the referee for a full report, and we will prioritise the investigation into this incident,” the organisation said in a statement.
The opposition party called upon the South African Football Association (SAFA), stadium management, and law enforcement agencies to collaborate in enhancing security protocols at sporting events, emphasizing strict checks and confiscation of weapons, including firearms, before entering stadiums.