Johannesburg – Kaizer Chiefs supporters and branches are divided right down the middle over the proposed march to the club headquarters in Naturena.
This comes after some supporters started the #KaizerChiefsProtest call that has spread like wildfire and has been trending since Friday.
On social media, the club’s fans are up in arms and have applied to the authorities to continue with their planned demonstration, but others said they would not be part of the march.
It appears the disgruntled bunch are unhappy about the team’s performance in the last couple of seasons, as Chiefs are struggling to break into the top eight bracket and are sitting on position nine behind TS Galaxy.
They have not won a single trophy since 2015, when Stuart Baxter was still the coach.
One of Amakhosi’s most recognised supporters, Masilo Machaka, said as soon as he was made aware of the looming march, he got in touch with some of their biggest branches to enquire if they were part of a group that wants to voice its grievances to the club bosses.
“I spoke with the Tembisa, Soweto and Alexandra branches – these are some of our biggest and active branches,” said Machaka.
“They are aware of the planned protest action, but they said they are not part of the planned march. Officially, they are distancing themselves from this hashtag. It is organised by social media fans and they have the right to do what they feel is right. We cannot stop them, but we hope that they will do things peacefully.
“We have been with the club through thick and thin for many years, and have never marched to the offices. We hope that these guys do not interfere with the running of the club because all of us must respect the decisions of the club, especially the chairman Kaizer Motaung’s decisions.
“As branches, whenever we are unhappy, there are communication channels and we know how to raise our concerns. I am not sure about this protest and hope that they achieve what they want,” said Machaka.
Chiefs communications manager Vina Maphosa said that they are aware of the hashtag, but cannot divulge much at this stage.
“We have been made aware of the story. But we do not usually react to social media stories. Once we have the full details, we will let you know.
“We will have a meeting on Wednesday with the authorities and those supporters. We will know about them on Wednesday,” said Maphosa.
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