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Robson Sharuko
Editor
AT least US$20 000 is believed to have been STOLEN in a heist at Rufaro on Sunday by cartels, which have seemingly perfected the art of stealing by abusing the porous systems at the gates, an H-Metro investigation has revealed.
The investigation followed a huge outcry from fans who feel the official figure of 12 500 paying fans was way lower than the actual number of supporters who paid to watch the Harare Derby.
The system still being used at Rufaro, where fans pay for tickets at the gates, is outdated and open to abuse by sophisticated cartels.
It was dumped in South Africa a long time ago and those intending to watch matches like the Soweto Derby have to buy tickets in advance.
However, there still has been resistance in this country to the use of such technology and it has provided fertile breeding ground for corrupt activities where gangs use such high-profile sports events to make a killing for themselves.
High-profile musical shows had also become a target of these cartels, which used muscle-men to bully their way into taking control of the gates, before promoters united in raising the alarm.
However, the cartels still operate full throttle at local high-profile football games.
According to an H-Metro investigation, the cartels, which were operating at Rufaro on Sunday, hit their biggest jackpot this season.
It’s well-known in domestic football that there are cartels which operate at local stadiums.
They target high-profile games like the Harare Derby, the Dynamos/Highlanders showdown and Warriors matches.
“The cartels work hand-in-hand with some crooked cashiers and this has been going on for as long as we can remember,” the sources told H-Metro.
“Some of the cartel members are known, others have died and have been replaced, they are usually seen milling around at the gates and they never get into the stadiums.
“They are not the leaders, they are the foot soldiers and some cashiers and club officials have been wooed into this network.
“One of the methods is to create the chaos that we saw during the Yadah/Dynamos game and take advantage of that while the other is to use the same tickets for as many people as possible.
“As crazy as it sounds, some of these guys even boast that they get to know which type of tickets will be used for their targeted games and produce their own similar batches, which are used at the gates.
“There is so much money being made and you can understand the lengths that these guys are prepared to go to, to ensure that they profit from this.”
Eyebrows were raised when the official attendance figure for the latest Derby, which attracted a big crowd, was said to be around 12 500.
“They say 12 500 fans paid to watch the Derby on Sunday, which is 6 000 less than the 18 500 fans, who they said paid to watch the same game at the National Sports Stadium last year,” said the sources.
“This means that a third of the number of fans, who watched this match last year, did not pay this time around.
“That is outrageous, to say the least, because it’s clear that the number of fans was almost the same and 6 000, in terms of difference, is too big.
“What this tells us is that it’s easier to loot at the gates at Rufaro compared to the National Sports Stadium and that is why you see this huge gap.
“What we are hearing from the grapevine is that, at least, US$20 000 was stolen from the gates on Sunday and that probably tells you why many are saying the real figure of the fans who paid was around 16 000.”
Online Reporter