As you drive into the Johan van Riebeeck Stadium — also known as Witbank Stadium — in Emalahleni, home of Mpumalanga Pumas, you are greeted by a huge sign that reads: ”Let us show you how!”
Knowing that the Pumas are not that good on the rugby field, one begins to be curious. Within minutes my curiosity is answered — two football goals belonging to Mpumalanga Black Aces are dumped on the open field next to the stadium. The Pumas will show you how to throw out a football team and its goalposts from their stadium — and get away with it.
The Mpumalanga government has failed Aces, the National First Division football side, by not acting decisively against alleged racist behaviour from Pumas officials.
For months Black Aces and the Mpumalanga Rugby Union have been at loggerheads over the rights to use the Van Riebeeck Stadium.
The sporting facility, which is owned by the Emalahleni municipality, was leased to the Pumas in 1998 for a measly R150 a month.
Aces started using the stadium last season, but after reaching the final of the Nedbank Cup — they lost 1-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns in the final — the team was perceived as rich. That’s when the problems began.
The Puma officials raised their fees from R800 to R22Â 000 a game, ordered the development side to stop training at the stadium and the Aces players were told not to use certain change rooms, which were designated for the use of the rugby team alone. Difficult as it is to fathom, this is the discrimination to which Aces have been subjected at the hands of the white-dominated rugby club — after 15 years of democracy.
Aces public relations officer Thabo Moroape says his club has been frustrated to the point of giving up the fight. ”There is no interest from the local municipality and the provincial government and we are left with no choice but to let them have the stadium. It is really disappointing that the people we have put in power are failing us.
”The municipal manager, Mangisi Langa, and Dinah Pule, the provincial minister for cultural affairs, sport and recreation in Mpumalanga, have failed to act against the Pumas after several meetings with them. We have exhausted all avenues and we are left with no choice but to just let it go and play our matches in Ackerville, Witbank. The authorities are simply not willing to help us,” he said.
Moroape went further, alleging that Hein Mentz, the Pumas president, said: ”I wish it was still in my days, I would have shown you” during a meeting with the provincial leadership.
”This whole thing is racially motivated,” Mentz said.
Despite a national outcry the municipality has not terminated the Pumas’ lease agreement, which now stands at about R580 a month and is in breach of the contract. The agreement states that the rugby club should make the stadium available for any sporting event held by sports clubs and bodies that have headquarters within the boundaries of the Emalahleni municipality and that the fee shall be determined by agreement.
It further states that if the two parties do not agree on a figure the matter should be referred to a designated accounting firm for arbitration.
”These processes have not been followed at all. People just come up with high fees to put us off. Schools are also charged R10Â 000 to use the stadium and they cannot afford that, especially those from previously disadvantaged areas. The lease agreement states that no fee should be charged for underprivileged schools,” said Moroape.
When the Mail & Guardian approached the Pumas for comment, Steven Brits, the stadium manager, refused to say anything.
South Africa is no stranger to discriminatory behaviour towards football clubs. In 2001 the Cape Town City Council required that a special permit be obtained before any football matches were allowed at the Newlands rugby and cricket stadiums, which are adjacent to each other. This led to the South African Football Association withdrawing its plan to host a World Cup qualifier match against Zimbabwe at Newlands. Ajax Cape Town also could not use the stadium.
In Johannesburg the city’s officials banned professional football, which was racially mixed from 1978, from the Rand Stadium in Turffontein because of complaints from white residents.
With a number of stadiums likely to be up for lease after the 2010 football showpiece fear is rife that similar situations might prevail if football authorities and municipalities don’t act.
”We’ve heard that the Pumas are also eyeing the Mbombela stadium and that will be a blow for us as well as we would like to play our home matches there,†said Moroape.
Samantha Pather, chief legal adviser to the Emalahleni municipality, refused to comment on the matter.