Saturday night’s Premier Soccer League match between Bidvest Wits and Orlando Pirates at Bidvest Stadium was called off on Saturday night due to the threat of a “Fees Must Fall” protest disrupting the game.
Wits had received an SMS from the Wits University Student Representative Council threatening a protest to disrupt the game, and the PSL decided to abandon the game due to security concerns, said Bidvest Wits’ general manager George Mogotsi.
The PSL will decide at a later date when to reschedule the match.
Questions might be asked as to why the PSL, given events on the Wits campus in the past week, did not consider rescheduling or relocating the game earlier than on Saturday night.
“There wasn’t a protest but they [the Fees Must Fall movement] were about to protest,” Mogotsi said. “They were going to meet and then come here [to the stadium].
“An SMS was sent to the Bidvest Wits CEO [Jose Ferreira], and that was passed onto the PSL. We deliberated with the PSL and it was decided in the interests of security surrounding the match that it should be abandoned.
“We did not know – 50 people with placards might have arrived, or it might have been 200. And our security would have had to deal with that, and the possibility they might try to enter the stadium.”
In a statement the PSL said: " Following consultation with the police and the two clubs, and in light of the student unrest at the Wits University campus, the Premier Soccer League has taken a decision to call off tonight’s [Saturday's] scheduled Absa Premiership fixture between Bidvest Wits and Orlando Pirates.
The statement quoted PSL acting CEO Mato Madlala as stating: “We have been constantly monitoring the situation at the Wits University campus because of the student activism there. In the last few days, we held several discussions with the home club and security clusters involved on the situation.
"Following consultation with the police today, we have therefore taken a decision to call off the game for safety and security concerns.”
Bidvest Stadium is on the Wits University campus, in Milpark Johannesburg, which has been the scene of fierce protests in the past week that have led to violence, looting and arrests.
Some supporters who arrived for the game were turned away from the ground an hour before the scheduled kickoff.
- TMG Digital