Johannesburg – The Economic Freedom Fighters will on Thursday intensify their call for stadiums to be reopened, and the South African Football Journalists Association (Safja) has given sports journalists a green light to add their call for the opening of stadiums.
The EFF has called on South Africans, journalists as well as other stakeholders to join what it has labelled as “the people’s picket to demand the opening of stadiums”.
In a letter that was seen by Sunday World, the EFF wrote an invitation letter to Safja, an organisation that represents the interests of football journalists in the country, to join the party’s vigorous call to the sports and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa to open stadiums.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, South Africa prohibited spectators at stadiums, or at any sports facilities due to the imposed National State of Disaster by the government.
The current extended State of Disaster has restricted sports venues to have spectators.
With deep concern from several stakeholders that the ban has imposed major setbacks for some bodies, the EFF stood out to pledge its support to athletes and performers affected by the restrictions.
“Athletes, creatives, artists, and all who depend on gatherings to make an income, the EFF remains your only reliable ally. The EFF is with you and will fight with you. This is your home,” said the party.
Sunday World engaged with Safja, to understand if the association endorses the party’s call.
Safja’s chairperson Velile Mnyandu said journalists from all media houses are permitted to attend to the EFF’s picketing, as the association understands the devastations that the imposed restriction has caused to the football fraternity.
“As a stakeholder in this sector, our members [journalists] are also hugely affected by the limitation of numbers in sporting events at the stadiums, especially in football,” said Mnyandu.
“Our understanding is that the picket on Thursday is about the return of fans to stadiums, and moreover, based on the invite we received it is up to them [journalists] and the media houses they represent to determine whether it is a story worth covering or not,” he said when questioned about journalists participation in this protest.
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