Police have opened an inquest after a Springbok supporter died in a five-metre fall outside Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
The Freedom Front Plus has called for accountability following the death of a Springbok supporter outside Loftus Versfeld. Picture: iStock
The death of a Springbok fan outside Loftus Versfeld stadium in Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, on Saturday has prompted more questions about who is to blame for the five-metre fatal fall.
South African Police Service spokesperson captain Tintswalo Sibeko confirmed that police have opened an inquest.
No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.
Freedom Front Plus Tshwane mayoral candidate Willie Spies said he will do everything in his power to make those responsible pay for the injustice inflicted on the loved ones and family of Hugo van der Berg.
Boks fan ‘fell victim twice’
Spies said: “On Saturday, 51-year-old Hugo van der Berg from Secunda, Mpumalanga, fell victim twice to the criminal, reckless rule of the ANC and its cohorts.
“Like many of us, he was looking forward to the match between the Springboks and Scotland. He dressed in his Springbok scarf, jersey and cap and he and his family and loved ones eagerly anticipated the spectacle awaiting them that Saturday afternoon.
“Like many of us, he stood outside the gates of Loftus while his loved ones took photos of him in his Springbok gear. And like all of us in the stadium, he likely sang the national anthem at the top of his lungs.”
Spies said Van der Berg’s first loss occurred when his cellphone went missing. It was likely stolen.
“As he headed off after the match, moving with the stream of spectators making their way back along Lynnwood Road to their vehicles, Ubers, or places of residence, he was unaware that his second and greatest loss still awaited him,” Spies added.
Claims of negligence at construction site
Spies said the City of Tshwane had awarded yet another questionable tender to a contractor tasked with replacing sewage pipes on Lynnwood Road.
Work on this contract worth hundreds of millions of rands had been repeatedly interrupted over the past few years due to the contractor’s poor performance and failure to deliver.
“The block of Lynnwood Road between Roper Street and University Road is currently the site of one of the most chaotic and shoddy construction zones I have seen in a long time.
“We have strict occupational health and safety rules and laws. Such a site must be secured and cordoned off. It should not be accessible to the public. Yet the contractor did none of this.”
‘Criminal’ contractors
Spies said the “reckless” Tshwane administration and their “criminal” contractors forced thousands of Bok supporters to walk through a minefield of danger.
“Safety consultant Werner Beineke, who was at the scene of Van der Berg’s accident, told me Hugo was the third spectator to fall into the five-metre deep excavation on Saturday. One person was uninjured and the second broke his ribs, but Hugo sustained fatal injuries.”
Spies said at 9.30pm on Monday night he shared information from the scene with Van der Berg’s sister-in-law, who initially thought he was just missing.
The City of Tshwane has not yet responded to questions.
