The Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, says that tickets to watch the South African national rugby team are too expensive for the ordinary citizen.
Speaking in parliament during the budget speech, he expressed that the high cost of tickets to see the Springboks was something that was of great concern to him.
Following his address in parliament, he spoke in a press conference, saying: “Ticket prices are very unaffordable for the man on the streets. Springboks ticket prices will have to come down. Springboks is a national asset,” he said.
He further revealed that he and the deputy minister were working tirelessly to ensure that they could make the Springboks accessible to the people. Some of these efforts include meeting with various stakeholders, as well as the implementation of “Bok Town,” where fans can gather to witness a live stream of the matches in a public setting.
Earlier this month McKenzie, alongside Multichoice, the SABC, and the South African Rugby Union (SARU), announced that they would stream the second test between the World Champions and Italy, which took place at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the Eastern Cape, in honour of the 30th anniversary since winning the first World Cup in 1995.
Despite the gesture being warmly welcomed by millions of South Africans, the cost of tickets to attend live matches remains a great concern.
The same can be said for the constant price hikes to watch the games live on Multichoice channels, as a premium package which includes the SuperSport Rugby and Grandstand channels would cost nearly R1000.
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