Durban fans disappointed as Bok parade passes them by

Hundreds of fans who lined Queen Nandi Drive outside Durban on Friday morning to catch a glimpse of the Springboks on parade were left disappointed when the route was changed at the last minute. 

Fans who were clad in rugby jerseys and some who held posters waited patiently along the side of the road for about an hour before they were alerted via posts on social media that the bus carrying Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and his team had bypassed them. 

One fan, Sonita Munsamy, said she was with about 30 other people who had chosen a good vantage spot to see the team and cheer them on, but they were left disappointed when they realised the winning team was not coming.

"We waited for about 45 minutes and cars driving past us were shouting and saying they were not coming. Most of the people left to go elsewhere, but we remained because we weren't sure if it was true or not. Then more people joined us  so we had hope."

She said officers in a metro police van said the team was coming their way, and said they were monitoring the team on their phones. 

"I have DSTV on my phone so we were watching eNews to see where they were. We saw them go down Inanda Road and past Newlands City and then we lost hope. We stuck around a while longer until everyone just left."

Munsamy said while they were sad not to see the team, they understood the challenges facing the team on tour.

eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda told TimesLIVE he was very sorry that the fans who had waited alongside Queen Nandi drive were left out.

He said the route was changed at the last minute because of time constraints.

"The challenge is that they have to be in Port Elizabeth. We tried to persuade them, and they said they would have loved to go to every part of the city but they were rushing to Port Elizabeth."