PRETORIA — A festive night of rugby turned to tragedy on Saturday, 11 July, after a middle-aged man lost his life following the Springboks’ Nations Championship test match against Scotland at Loftus Versfeld.
The fatal incident, which occurred at the corner of Lynnwood Road and Roper Street in Brooklyn, has ignited intense public anger and raised serious questions regarding pedestrian safety around the stadium during major sporting events.
What Happened?
As tens of thousands of fans began their journey home in the dark after the match, a middle-aged man fell into an unsecured roadworks excavation site. He sustained severe head injuries after striking bricks at the bottom of the trench.
Despite immediate, heroic CPR efforts from off-duty doctors, nurses, and local safety forum first responders in the pit, the man was tragically declared dead at the scene by Advanced Life Support paramedics.
The rescue operation was further complicated by three additional incidents at the exact same location:
- Incident 1: An elderly man slipped and fell into the same trench, sliding down the embankment before catching himself on an exposed drainpipe.
- Incident 2: A young civilian trying to assist the rescue team also lost his footing and fell into the hole.
- Incident 3: A large, onlookers’ crowd gathered at the edge of the pit, causing the loose construction soil to collapse inward on top of the emergency responders treating the victim.
Serious Safety Failures Exposed
Following a review of the site, the Old East Safety Forum exposed critical safety failures at the intersection:
“The safety netting had completely collapsed, and physical barricades were displaced and unsecured. Combined with poor street lighting, it was an incredibly hazardous environment for thousands of pedestrians walking in the dark.”
Alarmingly, the forum revealed that although they reviewed the event’s operational and traffic management plans beforehand, the ongoing roadworks and closures on Lynnwood Road were completely missing from the planning documents.
This logistical oversight became highly apparent when even the Springbok team convoy was forced to make a last-minute detour through Brooklyn to avoid the unmapped road closures.
Despite the forum raising these safety concerns informally with the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) prior to kick-off, no updated safety plan was ever issued.
