Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay executive mayor Mongameli Bobani said the outcry by Nelson Mandela Bay crowds who lined the streets from the early hours of the morning on Sunday did not fall on deaf ears.
This afternoon, a delegation led by former ANC MPL Christian Martin representing the Northern Areas and the Khoi-San community, came to Bobani's office to raise their concerns and fears after Springboks supporters in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth took to the streets in protest after the trophy tour skipped several scheduled stops along the route.
Bobani said his municipal Facebook page was filled with sad stories of terminally ill people, children and people from all walks of life who had to return home disappointed due to a last minute route change.
“I was assured by municipal officials that they did not make the call for this to happen and that all the relevant stakeholders played a role during the planning stages of the event. I further noticed an apology from the Springboks that was widely circulated on social media following the changes on Sunday," Bobani said.
“I am in the process of writing a letter to the South African Rugby Union (Saru) to amplify the impact of the outcry and for them to consider the disappointment of the residents who lined streets in Uitenhage, the Northern Areas, and William Moffett but had to return home disappointed and dejected."
He said he will instruct officials to communicate the feedback from Saru in due course as they are the only authority that can remedy this matter.
SA Rugby apologised for route changes in Durban and Port Elizabeth, which meant some supporters did not see the Springbok parade.
They said last-minute congestion and other logistical complications led local authorities to change the planned route of the Springbok bus in Durban on Friday, and through some of the northern areas of PE on Sunday.
“To the supporters in Durban and Port Elizabeth who we missed on the routes, we’re as disappointed as you, but unfortunately the last-minute route changes advised by local authorities were unavoidable,” said Mark Alexander, SA Rugby president.
“The same applies to the many other areas in South Africa we could not reach on this Trophy Tour. Our objective was to reach the maximum number of South Africans taking the constraints of time and geography into consideration, and unfortunately it was simply impossible to cover the whole country.”
On Sunday, residents barricaded Stanford Road and burnt tyres and rolled stones on the road, out of anger in PE.
The tour, which started at the Port Elizabeth City Hall at about 10am on Sunday, was meant to pass through Stanford Road but failed to do so due to time constraints