What began as a celebration of polished and chromed vehicles ended in chaos on Saturday night, with reports of missing teenagers, underage drinking and criminals preying on motor enthusiasts.
The popular taxi stance show, Umdlalo Wamagedlela, drew a crowd of between 350 to 500 to the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane on Saturday.
The annual event — which sees minibus taxi operators, drivers and the community gathering to showcase vehicles, often decorated, customised or fitted with powerful sound systems, engines and wheel rims — promised a weekend of family-friendly fun with live music and food stalls.
However, at nightfall, there were chaotic scenes as people reported seeing minors openly consuming alcohol, with some attendees becoming visibly intoxicated and others were half-naked in public.
There have been several reports of attendees being mugged and assaulted outside the venue after the show, but the police said they had not received any official reports.
On Monday, five teenagers had been reported missing.
At the time of writing, only one had returned home and families were still searching for four others between the ages of 15 and 18.
The mother of a 15-year-old said she had given permission for her son to attend the event as they lived near the venue and he had promised to be home by 7pm.
“I gave him R20 for the entry fee,” she said.
“He attended the event because he is interested in vehicles.
“I didn’t expect him to disobey our rules. But late on Saturday evening, we became worried.
“We started to search at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital and police stations.”
Two days later, on Monday morning, the teenager came home, wearing different clothes.
He told his parents he had slept over at a friend’s house on Sunday evening as he had been scared about going home.
“He said some friends had been mugged and had their phones and clothes stolen. I am grateful my child is safe,” his mother said.
Two Ulwazi High School girls believed to have attended the same event have been reported missing.
The pupils, 18 and 15 years old, who live at a children’s home, reportedly escaped on Saturday to attend the event.
A social worker at the home said they had planned their escapade as they had left with a bag full of clothes and toiletries.
“The two managed to jump over the fence because we do have security.
“We are disappointed about what has transpired. We are praying for their safe return.”
A statement issued by the school confirmed it was aware the teenagers were missing and that this was trending on social media, as they were wearing school uniforms in a picture.
The school said there was no way it was involved in the incident.
“The matter is of a personal and domestic nature, and it falls under the care and responsibility of the children’s home and the relevant authorities.”
The school appealed to the public and the media to respect the privacy of the girls involved and to refrain from spreading unverified information.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said: “Two missing person reports were opened yesterday. The investigation is ongoing.”
Two other girls were also reported missing on Monday afternoon by a relative.
Event organiser Siyambonga Tolikeni said they had stopped selling tickets at the entrance as there had been a huge influx of people, especially minors who wanted to enter the stadium, which was becoming overcrowded.
“The main problem we had was minors with older relatives who would help bring them in,” he said.
“We had to confiscate and break bottles from the minors. Some of them arrived drunk and we had to escort them out.”
He said security had been tight and they had been assisted in controlling the crowd by the local anti-crime forum.
“This was our second annual event, and we are planning to take it to the CBD because we have learnt that the high number that exceeded our expectations were young people from Mdantsane.”
The event started at 5pm, and the organisers switched off the music and lights at about 11pm.
Siyabulela Khali of Mdantsane’s anti-crime forum said: “Some minors mixed alcohol with lean [a codeine-based cough syrup mixed with soft drinks].
“They drank at ‘Orlando Stadium’ [a ground], which is across the road from the main venue.
“We attended to a number of incidents.
“These children were drunk and were being robbed and attacked by criminals.
“There were young girls who were drunk and half-naked. They were risking their lives, because it was hours after the event ended.”
A woman who lives near the stadium said she had gone to bed past midnight, as some of the attendees were vomiting by her gate.
“There were children as young as 10 years old who were roaming the streets in the evening.
“Our main concern was that the young girls were a target for being robbed — some were dragged to the Orlando Stadium near Sisa Dukashe, as it does not have field lights.”
Daily Dispatch
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