McKenzie Warns SMSA: “I’ll Get You Arrested” If Derby Chaos Continues

Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has issued a dramatic ultimatum to Stadium Management SA (SMSA), warning that he will have its executives arrested if there is a repeat of the chaos that has marred recent Soweto derbies.

Speaking at a press conference in Pretoria on Wednesday, McKenzie said he had told SMSA to “get their act together” ahead of the sold-out Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs clash at FNB Stadium on 31 October.

“I told Stadium Management SA that I’ll get them arrested if they can’t keep our people safe and I want to make that one clear,” McKenzie said.

“AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN”

The minister, who has previously described the Soweto derby as “an accident waiting to happen,” said the situation at FNB Stadium cannot be allowed to continue.

“Whenever there is the derby, there is chaos,” he said. “We are in discussions with Stadium Management SA because it must not happen again in the next derby, and I told them to get their act together”.

McKenzie contrasted the chaos at football matches with the orderly experience at rugby games, where the Springboks played the All Blacks at a packed FNB Stadium in September without incident.

“How do you go to the rugby match with your children and they can go and buy a drink on their own, and nobody takes their seats? In football, you will even be stabbed if you tell people ‘I am sitting here with my kids.’ This is because there are tsotsis with no tickets who intimidate people who have valid tickets”.

POLICE ABSENCE CRITICISED

McKenzie revealed he had formally written to the Minister of Police to complain about the lack of police presence at the last derby.

“I have reported the police because there was no police presence in the last derby and this cannot be. I highlighted this to the minister and all the mistakes that were there”.

The minister said he had witnessed an elderly woman pressed against a stadium gate during a previous derby, who told him the chaos had been happening for over 30 years.

“She said, ‘if I die, I die’ and I told her you don’t need to die at a soccer game” .

A HISTORY OF CHAOS

The minister’s warning comes after a series of dangerous incidents at recent Soweto derbies:

• February 2026: SMSA admitted that more than 101,000 people entered the 94,000-capacity FNB Stadium for the derby, with up to 30,000 others outside unable to gain entry.
• April 2026: The derby kick-off was delayed by 45 minutes due to traffic congestion and access issues, with thousands of fans still outside the stadium.
• The chaos has been fuelled by fake tickets, with SMSA acknowledging “widespread” fraud despite implementing a new digital ticketing system.

The minister has also called for fans to sit according to their ticket numbers, comparing football to rugby and cricket where crowd control is strictly enforced.

TICKETS SOLD OUT IN HOURS

South Africans have shown enormous appetite for the 31 October fixture, with all general public tickets snapped up in less than a day on Wednesday.

That sold-out status is precisely what concerns the minister and safety officials. SMSA has implemented a new ticketing system with two scanning points and rotating QR codes designed to curb fraud, but the system has experienced teething problems.