Posted in News on Apr 11, 2007.
Around 15 minutes way into the game - with the scores tied at 1-1 - the game had to be stopped as a number of fans trying to enter an already full stadium had met their death in a stampede.
On Wednesday morning the memory of those unfortunate soccer fans were remembered at a memorial service held in their honor at the Ellis Park Stadium.
The service was attended by amongst others Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates first team members as well as family members and representatives of the deceased. Also present was outgoing PSL CEO Trevor Phillips and his replacement.
The Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates choirs got the service started and ushered in reverend Vukile Mehana onto the stage to conduct the opening prayer. Once he had concluded, Ellis Park Stadium manager George Stainton then took the podium.
Stainton began his deliberation by stating; “time has really passed by swiftly since 11th April 2001; believe me we have not forgotten the tragedy that happened that evening.”
Stainton, who was in charge of the Stadium in 2001 continued on by saying, “since then we have made great progress at Ellis Park in avoiding a repeat of what happened six years ago, and we will have all those who passed away at that game in our hearts when Pirates host Chiefs in a PSL game here at the Park on the 28th April”.
It was then the turn of Orlando Pirates chairman Dr Irvin Khoza to take the podium and he began his deliberation by noting that closure needed to be brought to the matter. “I do feel that we need to bring this tragedy to close now but we should not ever forget what happened on that night in 2001,” said Dr Khoza.
The Pirates chairman went on to say; “Ellis Park Stadium has come a long way from April 2001, the stadium has been handed the right to host matches at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In July when the renovations begin here it will mark a new chapter for this famous ground, and for the families who lost loved ones it will be a demonstration that there a people taking steps to ensure that no other families suffer by losing a loved one at a soccer game.”
The Pirates supremo ended his speech by thanking all the people who put Wednesday’s service together, as well as those who leant a hand back on the 11th April 2001, as well as in the immediate aftermath of the event.
Kaizer Motaung, the Amakhosi chairman, was the last speaker and began by thanking family members and representatives of the deceased for taking time out to attend Wednesday’s service.
Motaung then said; “We will bring closure in our actions to this tragedy by taking steps to ensure we do not have a repeat of such an incident at our Stadiums again. We will not though bring closure to the memory of those who lost their lives in April 2001; they came to the stadium to celebrate in what was supposed to be a joyous occasion. It was not supposed to turn out the way it did with people returning home a person short, their memory will always be with us.”
The Chiefs chairman also added that the two clubs were going to honor the memory of the supporters who lost their lives in another football tragedy involving Chiefs and Pirates supporters when he said; “Let me jog your memory back to January 1990 when a number of Pirates and Chiefs fans lost their lives in a tragedy at the Orkney Stadium in the North West Province. At the time we held memorial services for the fans. We will in the future be doing something like this to commemorate their memory on the occasion of their passing.”
The reverend Vukile Mehana then closed the service with a prayer and led the crowd towards a commemorative plaque erected outside the stadium with the name of the 42 fans listed on it.
In a break from previous services, the flowers were not laid on the pitch as a new turf had been laid, instead a decision was taken to lay wreaths at the site where the stampede occurred.
