Student protests cause Maties vs Madibaz game to be abandoned

Monday night’s Varsity Cup clash in Port Elizabeth between Maties and NMMU Madibaz was called off early due to a pitch invasion from protesting students.

Eight minutes into the second half, students invaded the pitch at the Madibaz Stadium and the match was halted, soon to be called off. Chairs were thrown onto the field before the players were lead off and Maties were awarded a win of 19-0 as that was their lead at the time. Their four points for the win secured them a home semi final in Stellenbosch.

Read all the match reports for Round 7

According to the HeraldLIVE website, members of the South African Students Congress (SASCO) stormed the field protesting against what they believe is a lack of transformation in sport – Sport24

Protestors tried to storm the VIP box where Southern Kings coach Deon Davids was sitting, and another protestor, who said that back players were not fairly represented, allegedly grabbed the stadium announcer’s microphone and shouted “Viva Viva”, eliciting raucous approval from the crowds.

Watch the chaos below

Police have arrived at NMU after chaos erupted at the match between Madibaz and Maties. According to reports from the scene, SASCO students are allegedly protesting against the lack of transformation in sports. The game has been cancelled.

Video: George Byron pic.twitter.com/E63Mwd8ZLT

— HeraldLIVE (@HeraldNMB) March 12, 2018

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