The terms of reference of a committee of inquiry into the death of two fans at a football match at FNB Stadium will cover safety and security at games‚ and not broader issues of administration‚ Sports Minister Thembelani “Thulas” Nxesi has said.
The inquiry will investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of two supporters at FNB Stadium at the Carling Black Label Cup preseason match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates on July 29.
The committee will also probe whether the Premier Soccer League has been upholding security standards as recommended by Judge Bernard Ngoepe’s Commission of Inquiry into the Ellis Park disaster of 2001‚ where 43 people died at a Chiefs-Pirates match‚ Nxesi said.
“I am looking at what happened at FNB Stadium. The issue of safety and security‚” Nxesi said.
“And I want to emphasise this – there has been a commission before‚ in relation to some previous incidents.
“What we have to check is how far we have gone in relation to those incidents. Are we implementing what was said by the previous judge (Ngoepe).
“We can have an inquiry‚ and then they come with the same recommendations. The issue is the implementation of those recommendations.”
The public hearings for the inquiry‚ led by Judge Ronald Pillay‚ are set to begin on February 12.
– TimesLIVE