Children were left waiting for over three hours at the Middelburg Mall yesterday afternoon in anticipation of a glimpse of the Netball World Cup Trophy.

Scheduled to begin at 15:00, the proceeds only started at 18:30, leaving students in the thick of writing exams, outside on a cold dark winter’s night.

The event was meant to be a celebration, involving schools from across the town, including the likes of Hoërskool Middelburg, Steelcrest High School and the Middelburg Combined School.
Instead, the students were left abandoned, with many eager and excited members of the public leaving early out of frustration.

According to Johan Matshiane, deputy chairperson of the Mpumalanga Nkangala Netball Federation, the reason for the delay was an extended stop to meet with a “chief”.

There was also public outrage at the Mhluzi Mall section of the event, originally meant to commence at 14:00, as the penultimate stop before the Middelburg Mall.

The anxious public were immensely disheartened by the arrival at 17:30.

Due to the late arrival, the trophy was not shown at Mhluzi Mall, leaving the remaining attendees aggrieved

Facebook users were quick to express their disappointment, Tazi Ramosibi wrote, “So disappointing that the community waited the entire day, schools released learners early so that they can witness this beautiful history, and when they finally arrived the trophy was not shown to the community. There’s nothing they could have done to foresee the delay, but the least they could have done was to display the trophy at Mhluzi Mall just for a moment.”

Monica Nkosi also wrote, “What a disappointment.”

The Netball World Tour consisted of Executive Mayor Mhlonishwa Masilela, the MEC for Culture, Sports, and Recreation, Thandi Shongwe, and South Africa’s Netball President Cecilia Molokwane.