Will thieves strike again?
ON SATURDAY, October 1, Canadian superstar Justin Bieber will be returning to the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg to perform to a sold-out crowd.
It will mark nine years since Bieber last performed in Johannesburg.
However, it also marks nine years since one of South Africa’s most infamous break-ins took place.
While the Canadian pop star blew the roof off FNB stadium, it wasn’t his performance that was most remembered on the night, but rather the well-planned theft that took place afterwards and which made headlines around the world.
In what was a meticulously planned break-in, the criminals chiselled their way through FNB stadium and made off with more than R3 million in cash from alcohol, food and merchandise sales from the concerts that took place over the weekend of August 12, 2013.
They cleared out the safe and walked away undetected with their whopping haul.
Now, nine years later, as Bieber plans to return to FNB Stadium, the thieves responsible for the wellplanned theft are still at large.
Could these very same criminals or others be planning to strike at FNB Stadium once again when Bieber takes to the stage in October?
Stadium Management South Africa (SMSA), the owners of FNB stadium, say they will be doing everything in their power to ensure there isn’t a repeat of the 2013 caper.
“We consider all risk and mitigatory factors with the Event Safety and Security Planning Committee and deploy security accordingly, and it won’t be any different this time round,” said SMSA CEO Bertie Grobbelaar.
While Grobbelaar wasn’t employed by SMSA when the theft took place in 2013, he said all recommendations from the report of the break-in were taken into consideration when planning future events, and that they would be well prepared.
“I was not employed by SMSA during the previous concert and therefore unable to comment on the background and circumstances surrounding the incident,” said Grobbelaar.
“The recommendations in the report following the incidents were implemented in the safety and security planning of all the other concerts and mega events post this unfortunate incident.
“The event safety and security planning committee, as constituted in terms of the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act of 2010, considers all risks associated with every event and dictates the security deployment in accordance with a formal security plan.”
While they are doing all they can to make sure concert goers are safe, Grobbelaar did admit to being frustrated that no arrests had been made of those responsible for the 2013 theft.
“It is always frustrating if criminals are not brought to book,” said Grobbelaar.
But while Grobbelaar and his team will be hard at work making sure everything goes smoothly when the Canadian pop star performs in October, he says he is delighted that FNB Stadium is able to welcome Bieber and other mega stars following a few difficult years during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“As a stakeholder, we are extremely relieved that the sport, eventing and entertainment industry is up and running again,” Grobbelaar said.
“The past 25 months had a devastating impact on the industry, unfortunately resulting in many role players being unable to survive and closing businesses.
“We are excited that the industry is opening up again.
“As SMSA, we are excited to host the first arena show post the lifting of the Disaster Management Act regulations. It is always a privilege to be involved in hosting international acts to South Africa.”
Meanwhile, police have confirmed that they have classified the case as undetected, having not come any closer to making an arrest for the 2013 heist.
“The case has been undetected,” said Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Noxolo Kweza.
“This is because no suspects were arrested. Fingerprints were identified but for now no suspect has been arrested. The investigations are continuing.”
Bieber’s highly anticipated concerts in South Africa will take place on September 28 at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town and on October 1 at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium.