Limpopo club Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila [TTM] have explained why their Nedbank Cup last 32 home match against Orlando Pirates will be played in Durban. TTM, one of the eight teams of the SAFA structures, have been drawn against the Buccaneers. Their clash will take place on Saturday, 7 February at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
TTM, which recently secured Limpopo ABC Motsepe League status, plays its home matches at the Thohoyandou Stadium.
WHY TSHAKHUMA TSHA MADZIVHANDILA WERE FORCED TO PLAY A HOME MATCH IN DURBAN
Club General Manager Azwihangwisi Phasha has since explained that the decision was made to play the match 1 059 km away from home.
“The reason why the game was taken to Durban was that the Vhembe region is part of the places that have been declared a natural disaster [due to recent floods],” Phasha told FARPost.
FLOOD-STRICKEN VHEMBE REGION NOT SAFE TO HOST NEDBANK CUP CLASH AGAINST ORLANDO PIRATES
“So it was not safe for people to come to this side. That was the reason why the match was moved to Durban. Before that, we tried to move the match to Polokwane, but unfortunately, the New Peter Mokaba Stadium was unavailable due to the Kaizer Chiefs’ CAF Confederation Cup match.
“So the game can’t be played a day before the CAF match. We couldn’t play in Gauteng because it is Orlando Pirates’ home province. That is the reason why we moved to Durban. We also had an option to go to Cape Town, but that is too far for our supporters.”
Meanwhile, the club has also offered its supporters special transport to and from Moses Mabhida Stadium for only R100 per bus and R700 for return flights.
“We are really sorry about the disappointment of taking the fixture to KZN. It was beyond our control and a situation that we were facing.”
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