Msunduzi mayor faces backlash over failed public fan park for Nedbank Cup final

IOL News

12-05-2025

Msunduzi Municipality mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla has apologised to Msunduzi residents after the city failed to host a public fan park for the Nedbank Cup final.
Image: Supplied
Msunduzi Municipality mayor, Mzimkhulu Thebolla, has blamed a service provider for the city's failure to set up a public viewing area in Pietermaritzburg for the Nedbank Cup final which was hosted in Durban this past weekend.
Thebolla has come under severe criticism after the city failed to set up public viewing area for the game between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, despite making a commitment to do so. The city had initially said the fan park would take place at City Hall.
Fans were further outraged when pictures circulated of Thebolla seated in the VIP suite at the Moses Mabhida Stadium during the game.
During a radio interview on Monday, Thebolla offered his apologies for the failure to establish viewing areas in Msunduzi.
'We would like to apologise to our community. As the city, we thought we had done all that we could as the municipality in finalising the viewing area. It later turned out that the service provider had been double booked. We do not know when the service provider was intending to come back and set up the viewing area after they were done with their other job.'
He stated that they will investigate what transpired and ensure that such a situation never occurs again.
In a statement, the Municipality said the fan park was organised to broaden access to the iconic sporting event for everyone, particularly youth groups and those who could not make it to Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Regrettably, it said the event did not proceed as planned, and many arrived at the venue unaware of the cancellation, leading to frustration and disappointment.
'We are deeply sorry for the confusion and the inconvenience caused, especially to those who made the effort to attend with their families and friends,' the statement added.
The Municipality said it acknowledges the harm this incident has caused — not only to public trust but also to the reputation of the Municipality and the mayor, who it said has consistently championed initiatives that promote sport, youth development, and community cohesion.
'This unfortunate event does not reflect the Mayor's values nor his longstanding record of delivering inclusive, people-centred programmes. His unwavering commitment to using sport as a tool to inspire, unite, and uplift our communities remains resolute. As the Municipality, we fully accept responsibility for this incident. It is clear that this outcome is unacceptable, and we are treating it with the seriousness it deserves.'
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'An internal investigation has been initiated to determine what led to the failure of this initiative, and corrective action will be taken. To everyone who was affected, we extend our deepest and most sincere apologies. We understand the expectations placed on us, and we commit that such a situation will never happen again,' the statement concluded.
THE MERCURY