Chiefs’ Motaung Jnr, Mooki remember Ellis Park disaster

Kaizer Chiefs sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jnr and Amakhosi midfield legend have shared their memories of the tragic events of April 11 2001, where 43 supporters lost their lives in a crowd stampede at the Soweto derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at Ellis Park.

This week marked the 23rd anniversary of the Ellis Park Disaster, and Motaung Jnr recalled how he was on his way back to South Africa when he got the news.

The former striker was playing at the time in Germany with 1860 Munich.

“I was overseas and I was flying back home,” said Motaung Jnr.

“And because of bad weather we had to stay over in Zurich. I remember I was in the hotel calling home, I couldn’t understand, people were getting hurt, the game was on? It really hit home that next morning when I got all the information.

“When you looked at the images … we all have sons and daughters … people were hurt and they all just came to watch football. It is really tough to do it justice or show importance of what the players and all of us are involved in, it was tragic.

“When you started hearing the individual stories of people who were connected, it was frightening. But it is a reminder that we are very lucky to be here doing what we are doing.”

‘It was traumatic for us’

Mooki was in the Chiefs team playing against Pirates, with the game having kicked off, only to be stopped when it was clear there was a tragedy unfolding.

“When the game started, we did not know what was going on. When the game stopped, we were told that there was a stampede. Only later did we get to know what had actually unfolded,” Mooki told the official Chiefs website.

Mooki, who was only 26 years-old at the time, added that senior players at Chiefs helped him deal with the aftermath.

“We had a captains committee of senior players and we were able to get the help we needed to ensure that the players were able to continue – emotionally and psychologically – and play in the memory of the fans. As a player at that stage in my career, I had never had the experience of people passing at a game and it was traumatic for us,” said Mooki, while also paying tribute to those who died and their families.

“May the souls of all those who passed that evening rest in peace. Amongst them were breadwinners for their families, important community leaders, children, fathers and mothers. For those families who lost these members, to this day I sympathise with them and feel for what they went through.”

“These people who passed all meant something to their families, and to us. It is fitting that we think about them and what happened to them, and ensure that fans enjoy the spectacle that is football safely.”