With the Soweto Derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates edging closer, several fans have voiced their concerns regarding the new digital ticketing system, stating that it must be more efficient and user-friendly to avoid delays and chaos.
Stadium Management SA (SMSA) recently introduced its own ticketing platform called “My Ticket” to avoid access delays and counterfeit tickets at its venues.
During the league match between Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns midweek, Sunday World engaged several fans entering the stadium after getting their tickets scanned, who shared their experience with the new system.
To a certain extent, the supporters made an effort to arrive at the stadium early to not delay the kickoff. Even so, there were some fans outside struggling to enter the premises due to some machines not working, and this resulted in security unlocking the turnstiles to avoid chaos.
Said a fan who opted to remain anonymous: “I did not have a good experience because I was stuck outside for about 20 minutes because there was no network, and the ticket couldn’t be scanned. So, I still prefer the old system (physical tickets), or they could have waited for the two big games to pass and introduce it gradually.
“The ticketing system is actually very easy,” said another fan Kgagodi Madiba. “But the way Stadium Management has set it up, where you need to scan the ticket twice. It delays the fans entering the stadium.”
“So, if they can fix that issue, I think it’s a perfect system because we need to move with the times [digital]. So, only one scanning point from outside could be a solution to this problem because the Soweto Derby is coming,” he added.
While some fans expressed their challenges with the new system, some had a positive and smooth plunge into the stadium, emphasising that arriving early at the game on Saturday would help alleviate some of these concerns.
“We got to the stadium early, and there were no complications at all with the ticketing system. So, it is good and advisable to get to the stadium early to avoid problems,” said Siphiwe Mbana.
Said SMSA CEO Bertie Grobbelaar: “For the upcoming fixtures, we will deploy scanning personnel from a service provider responsible for scanning at concert event at the venue to scan patrons’ tickets using mobile scanning units equipped with similar fast, high scanning capacity. We believe this intervention will improve validation times and overall throughout.”
