Tornado call for better policing
Lack of security at stadia is still a major concern for Mdantsane club
Tornado coach Tshepo Motsoeneng said he was concerned about the security at the North End Stadium following the recent shooting of the club’s boss at the venue.
Tornado’s Siphiwo “Mawawa” Nyobo was killed in a hail of bullets outside the ground after the club played a match at the stadium on March 2.
The tragedy raised questions about the absence of tight security personnel at ABC Motsepe League matches.
Motsoeneng said he feared their safety was not a priority as far as local policing authorities were concerned.
“We were constantly looking over our shoulders throughout the match,” said Motsoeneng.
He said the players were still traumatised by the tragedy and the absence of police did not help matters.
“After everything that happened the fear is still there when we play there and I thought we would see some police visibility, but that was not the case,” he said.
However, he admitted the team management had not applied for more police to be despatched to the venue for their games.
Motsoeneng believed it was a general feeling among the football fraternity that lower leagues didn’t receive the same treatment as top-flight leagues. He said the clubs were doing a service to the community by taking boys off the streets to play sport.
“I don’t know whether we as a club have to apply for protection or what. A police vehicle was there (at North End) but they didn’t make their presence felt,” he said.
“I’m not saying there should be police dogs roaming around or whatever, but the authorities should take the same attitude they adopt for clubs like Chippa United.”
The lack of police visibility can cause a lot of things to go unnoticed in the stadiums.
“If there aren’t enough police officers and vehicles you are left wondering about what could go wrong. They should stay well after our games in the Motsepe League are completed and until everybody has vacated the premises.”
Motsoeneng said he was not asking for special treatment, but after what happened to the Tornado boss that tragedy does call for a shift in focus and how things are done to keep people safe at stadia.
The reigning third-tier league champions have re-ascended to the summit of the log-standings, and they now have five games remaining in this season’s fixtures.
Tornado have won 16 games, drew six and lost only three times for their 54 points.
Last season they qualified for the ABC Motsepe League promotional play-offs, but they couldn’t qualify for promotion after drawing against Buya Msuthu and The Dolphins.
“We are competing for the league title again this year and it would be nice to have some peace of mind when it comes to safety at the stadium.
“So we must plead to our law-enforcement agencies to take us seriously as people in sport, which is the duty of social cohesion and that’s important for any community,” said Motsoeneng.
According to East London police spokesperson Captain Hazel Mqala, Tornado should follow procedure as prescribed by law, as they were entitled to protection especially after what happened to their late boss.
“They should approach their nearest police station and share their fixture dates and request police visibility,” said Mqala.
She said other sports bodies let the police know of their activities when requesting police assistance. “For instance when there’s a cricket game to be played, Border Cricket approaches the police months before the game and the police know that they have to be visible on a certain date.
“Because we also plan for events, in terms of securing logistics like allocating overtime to officers and so on.
“For instance, if they are playing at Sisa Dukashe Stadium, the NU1 police station should be aware of that and crime prevention will deploy enough members to the games,” Mqala confirmed.
On the alleged murder case of Nyobo police are still following leads and they have offered a R50,000 reward to anyone who may provide information that could lead to arrests...
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