Horror stories of crime mar Global Citizen Festival

South Africans have taken to Twitter to detail their crime horror stories after the Global Citizen Festival Mandela 100 concert on Sunday, with some explaining how they were mugged at gunpoint outside the stadium, with no police in sight. 

Festival attendees who were waiting for Uber and Taxify cabs outside of the Nasrec Sasol garage after the concert reported that chaos broke out when a number of people were robbed at knife and gunpoint. 

According to posts on social media, people flocked to the garage to wait for transport. There, they were harassed and mugged, which led to chaos outside the venue.

A witness told TimesLIVE that she saw a group of about seven men walking in between people.

“There was a couple walking in front of us. The next thing we knew the girl started screaming. They tried to grab whatever she was holding. It was such a mess. Everybody started running in between cars to avoid the thugs. Mind you, there were no police in the vicinity at all,” said Jamie-Lee Markgraaff.

Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department senior management superintendent Wayne Minnaar said the JPMD was responsible for crime prevention with the SAPS. However, Minnaar said JMPD had its hands full directing traffic out of the FNB Stadium area.

CEO of Stadium Management South Africa Jacques Grobbelaar said SAPS and Global Citizen took control of the event as it was high-profile and involved 58 heads of state.

Grobbelaar lambasted the SAPS, telling TimesLIVE that after the last performance police left the area, which is against standard protocol.

“I was at the venue... police cleared out after the last performance. Usually we would stay for two hours after the event to ensure the safety and security of concert-goers.”

Four TimesLIVE journalists were also at the event and can confirm that no police were present after the event.

Many concert-goers shared their frustration with the organisers, saying they had feared for their safety.