South Africa comes to a standstill Saturday March 15 when one of the biggest soccer rivalries on the continent are renewed at the African Calabash – FNB stadium – where Orlando Pirates will attempt to claw back into title contention when they engage Kaizer Chiefs in the Soweto Derby.
When Pirates play Kaizer Chiefs, life in the 52-million ‘Mzansi’ literally stops.
All Johannesburg roads lead to the spiritual home of South African soccer.
Those who cannot find a ticket to cram into the 94 000-seater Soccer City get a share of the action in homes, restaurants, bars, around braais and other social clubs and entertainment spots.
Families are divided right down the middle in the only time that the expansive township of Orlando in Soweto shows literal division between the East (for Pirates) and West (for Chiefs).
There is a railway line that runs between the East and West of Orlando Township. If you wished to have an idea of who prevailed on derby match day, the township zone with the most cheers would be the happiest with the result.
Recently, a pay per view channel with exclusive rights to the derby has expanded the broadcast view of the match; beaming the spectacle across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas, Europe and parts of Asia.
Its massive television reach and publicity has positioned it as the best and biggest in South Africa and thrust it in the limelight with a claim to being one of the best in Africa. For Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza, its Africa’s biggest.
Khoza believes that that the Soweto Derby can stand up to other famed and old rivalries such as the fierce Al Ahly/Zamalek Egyptian derby or Ghana’s clash between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak or Raja vs Wydad in Morocco. Across the continent, there are passionate and ‘hot’ derbies which stake a claim to being among the best and every nation can list at least two giants that draw a clear line in football rivalry including such ones as Asec/Africa Sports, TP Mazembe/Vita/Lupopo, Dynamos/Highlanders, Nkana/Power, Canon/CotonSport, Esperance/Etoile, Simba/Yanga, Township Rollers/Gaborone United, Enyimba/Enugu Rangers, Gor Mahia/AC Leopards among others.
“There are derbies in DRC, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and even other less talked about in other African countries but the Soweto derby takes some beating,” said Khoza.
Amakhosi owner, Kaizer Motaung whose club was formed in the 1970s from former Pirates players who were disgruntled at the Buccaneers, opines that the Soweto derby is the biggest on the continent by numbers.
“For a match which is viewed across the globe and from Africa for that matter, there is no debate on which derby has the bragging rights,” Motaung said.
“The media hype and colour that goes into every derby has distinguished the Soweto derby from all other African derbies,” said respected journalist Mark Gleeson. “The Soweto derby is glamorous and it makes politicians from the same party take sides.”
Going into this weekend’s derby, Chiefs head the PSL league log with 43 points from 19 matches while Pirates have 30 points from 18.
“While Chiefs come into this derby as the inform team, derbies outcomes normally have little respect of current form,” said former Pirates captain Shakes Mashaba.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) News
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