I never sold fake tickets to anyone, says Chiefs fan ‘Parker’

Nkosinathi ‘Parker’ Maduna, a Kaizer Chiefs fan accused of selling fake tickets to soccer fans for the Chiefs and Orlando Pirates match at FNB Stadium, has denied the allegations.

According to Stadium Management South Africa, a man claiming to be the chairperson of the JHB Central Kaizer Chiefs supporters approached the stadium management on Thursday and told them he knew someone who was selling fake tickets.

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“He stated that he was then concerned about this due to the fact that he knew yesterday’s match had been sold out and the sale of counterfeit tickets was putting the event at risk. Off his own bat, he had acquired two of the counterfeit tickets through a Kaizer Chiefs supporter club member [Parker], who ran a photography business in Joubert Park.

“Parker in turn had the mobile number of a member of a syndicate who, if you called him and stated: ‘I hear you have tickets,’ would deliver tickets in central Johannesburg/Melville etc.

“This gentleman advised that he had ordered two tickets, met with ‘Parker’, and he had paid R100 each for them. He showed Patrick the tickets, whom then noted that the tickets were both for Level 1 – as you know, the maintenance of the differentiated ticketing pricing policy strategy at this level is a tremendous match-day challenge at Soweto Derbies.

“The gentleman went on to saying that ‘Parker’s’ contact advised him that the ticket would not scan, and so when he arrived at the stadium, he must just go to the Computicket verification office near Gate 13 and that the ticket would be stamped and then the turnstile security would accept it. The gentleman said he saw two or three shoe boxes stuffed full of similar tickets in the possession,” said Stadium Management South Africa in a statement.

However, Maduna, a photographer at Joubert Park in Johannesburg CBD, told The Sowetan he was “shocked” to hear he was implicated in the weekend stampede that left two people dead and several injured.

“I never sold fake tickets to anyone. I did not have a ticket myself because I do not like attending derbies. A friend gave me a ticket at 2.30pm after she changed her mind about going to the game. I went in the last minute. What I would normally do is buy more tickets for my fellow branch members who are unable to buy and claim money from them,” he was quoted as saying by the publication.

Maduna said he was too much of a Kazier Chiefs to do what he was being accused of, saying he had spent about R15 000 on original Chiefs merchandise that he bought at Naturena. He made a case for his unwavering support for the club, saying he slept on Chiefs-branded bedding in Chiefs shorts and vests.

“Even the cup I drink tea from is branded Kaizer Chiefs. Why would I then go and sell people fake tickets? I will never do that,” he said.

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