Sports minister cagey on reopening of stadiums to the public

Sports minister Nathi Mthethwa is wary of rushing the reopening of sports stadiums and other venues fearing a catastrophic super-spreader event.

While some restrictions have been eased for the general public and vaccinations are slowly gathering steam, Mthethwa said that caution must be exercised in the return of fans.

Sports minister urges caution

South Africa’s major sporting codes, soccer, rugby and cricket, have continued their seasons without fans, but all are hoping to see restrictions lifted in the near future.

“I know churches and other places are open, but we have not had a situation where we allow thousands of people,” the Sports minister told SAFM.

“It is still limited at the moment. The events and stadiums issue is very complicated, so we need to be very careful with that one.

“The PSL is welcome to present its case through the mother body Safa. But it’s always better if the proposals come from Sascoc for all the federations. Rugby has applied and has a good plan for the Lions tour. But we must always remember to put livelihoods first.

“If you look at the sporting situation, you must also ask what do you do in a stadium of 60 000 capacity.

“For sports and events, it becomes superficial. It will need a proper analysis from different sectors. It’s not an easy situation as it seems, both for sport and events.

“It was also up to the federations to come and present their case and give us proposals about the return of fans to stadiums. It’s only recently that we have received a proposal. I think the sporting world has also been cautious considering the proposed third wave.”

The Premier Soccer League appear content to wait until next season to get fans in, but the upcoming British and Irish Lions tour faces considerable challenges to the hopes of not only welcoming local fans but visitors from the UK.