By Celani Sikhakhane
- Football fans in Pietermaritzburg were left angry and confused when the mayor cancelled the fan park just an hour before kick-off.
- The same mayor was later seen celebrating in the VIP section at the stadium with celebrities and politicians.
Msunduzi Mayor Mzi Thebolla cancelled a public fan park at the last minute to go and enjoy the Nedbank Cup final in style at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
The fan park was meant to give people in Pietermaritzburg a place to watch the big match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. But just one hour before the game, it was cancelled without warning.
Fans who showed up ready to celebrate were left confused and disappointed.
Their anger turned to outrage when they saw the mayor on TV, laughing and cheering in the VVIP section with celebrities and government officials, wearing a Kaizer Chiefs jersey.
What made things worse was that eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba was seen sitting with ordinary people at Durban’s South Beach Fan Park, enjoying the match with his community.
Many called Thebolla’s behaviour selfish and shameful, accusing him of abandoning his own people to have fun in Durban.
The backlash forced the municipality to apologise.
“Msunduzi Municipality would like to offer its sincere and heartfelt apologies to all residents, visitors and football lovers,” the statement read.
The municipality said the fan park was meant to give everyone a chance to enjoy the match, especially young people and those who couldn’t go to the stadium. They admitted that many people arrived not knowing it had been cancelled and understood why they were angry.
They also admitted the incident had damaged trust in the mayor.
“This doesn’t reflect the mayor’s values,” they said. “He has always supported sport and community events.”
The municipality said they are now investigating what went wrong and promised to take action.
“We take this seriously and will leave no stone unturned to find out what happened.”
Pictured above: Msunduzi Mayor Mzi Thebolla wearing a Kaizer Chiefs jersey with Gagasi FM’s Alex Mthiyane and KZN government spokesperson Bongani Gina at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Image source: Regie Khanyile (Facebook)
