JOHANNESBURG — 2001 · Major Tragedy
The Ellis Park Stadium Disaster
On 11 April 2001, during the Kaizer Chiefs–Orlando Pirates derby at Johannesburg's Ellis Park Stadium, far more fans than the roughly 60,000 capacity tried to get in. In the resulting crush 43 people died and hundreds were injured; the match was halted around the 34th minute. The commission of inquiry blamed bribe-taking that let ticketless fans in, vehicles blocking the entrances, poorly controlled complimentary tickets and bad decisions by security personnel. It remains South Africa's deadliest sporting disaster.
- Date
- 2001
- Place
- Doornfontein, Gauteng, South Africa, Johannesburg, ZA
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- -26.1980, 28.0610 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 11 April 2001A crush occurred at the Kaizer Chiefs–Orlando Pirates match.
- 2001The government set up a commission of inquiry.
- 2002The commission blamed crowd management and bribery.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Ellis Park Stadium disaster en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Sunday Independent — Ellis Park Stadium tragedy: 43 lives lost sundayindependent.co.za ↗
- Kaizer Chiefs — Ellis Park tragedy remembered, 25 years on kaizerchiefs.com ↗
- Wikipedia
- Sunday Independent
- Kaizer Chiefs
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.