WeeklySA_AdminMEMORY: 43 fans killed in stampede at derby between Chiefs and Pirates 24 years ago
By Sports Reporter
The date, 11 April, is eternally etched in the annals of Kaizer Chiefs history for it was on this day in 2001 that a catastrophe occurred at the Ellis Park stadium, in which 43 people tragically lost their lives in a crowd stampede.
For anyone present, or even aware of what occurred on that fateful Wednesday evening, the excitement of a Soweto Derby between Amakhosi and Orlando Pirates quickly dissipated into a sense of horror as news filtered through of the terrible disaster unfolding in the stands, and most have carried those awful memories for the 24 years that have since passed.
One of them is former star striker, Siyabonga Nomvethe, who was playing in the match, and can still vividly recall that fateful evening.
“It was a huge game and everybody wanted to see it. There were a lot of people around,” he recounts. “I can remember, it was about 15 minutes into the game and the score was already 1-1 and I saw people running onto the field. The referee stopped the game so that security and the police could move the people off the field. We carried on for about 10 more minutes and the ref stopped the game again because there had been a big accident in the stands.”
Bhele continues with the hint of a quiver in his voice, “That’s when we realised that people had passed away. We were informed later that 43 people died. Today is a big day to remember our sisters and brothers who lost their lives 24 years ago. I will never forget that tragedy.”
While Kaizer Chiefs was established primarily to produce glory on the football field, it has evolved into a community of millions with a sense of family among the support base that is unique and unmatched anywhere in the world, so when tragedies like Ellis Park, and the calamity of Orkney a decade earlier, it is felt very deeply by the entire Club.
We mourn for them as our own kin; we cherish and honour their memory always, but particularly on the anniversary of their departure, we pay tribute to them, expressing empathy and solidarity with their families and loved ones.
There was a 60,000-capacity crowd in the stadium, but reports suggest a further 30,000 more fans were trying to gain entry to the stadium. Reports also suggest that 120,000 fans were admitted into the stadium. An Orlando Pirates equaliser sparked a further surge by the fans trying to gain entry as they scrambled to see what had happened. The match was stopped after approximately 34 minutes of play when authorities received a high volume of reported injuries.
As the crowd surged to gain seats and see the pitch, they overspilled into press boxes, and 43 people were crushed to death. Reportedly inexperienced security guards firing tear gas at the stampeding fans exacerbated the situation, and potentially contributed to some of the deaths. The South African Police Services denied these claims. The final inquiry into the incident concluded that a major cause was security personnel alleged to have taken bribes to admit fans without tickets into the stadium and poor crowd control.
When it became apparent what had happened, the match was halted and the crowd was dispersed. The bodies were laid out on the pitch for identification and medical attention, but none were revived. This was the worst sporting accident in South African history, surpassing the Oppenheimer Stadium disaster in 1991 The 11th of April 2001 remains one of the most saddening experiences.-additional reporting from kaizer chiefs website
