Street vendors made brisk business as Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates fans filled the streets of Pretoria the thrilling Betway Premier League clash at the Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria.
When the two teams faced off, the excitement wasn’t only inside the stadium. Outside, the city’s bustling pavements turned into a marketplace, alive with colour, sound, and the smell of freshly grilled meat.
From early morning, vendors lined the streets leading to the gates, selling pap and wors, cold drinks, flags, hats and team jerseys. The hum of traffic mixed with fans singing club songs and blowing vuvuzelas, creating a festive atmosphere that stretched for blocks. Such events that attract thousands of fans from across the country, are part of the lucrative sports tourism industry and offer entrepreneurs an opportunity to cash in.
For many traders, match days like this are their best chance to earn a decent income. Thandi Mokoena, who has been selling at Loftus for five years.
“We rely on big games like this one. On a normal day, it’s quiet, but when Sundown’s or Pirates play, business is booming. I can make more in one day than I do in a whole week,” she said.
A few stalls down, Vusi Ndlovu is calling out to passing Pirates supporters.
“These fans are loyal. Even if they already have a jersey, they’ll buy another. They just love showing off their team spirit,” he said with a chuckle.
According to UN Tourism, sports tourism is one of the fastest growing parts of tourism as more and more tourists are interested in sport activities during their trips.
“Today, sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in tourism. More and more tourists are interested in sport activities during their trips whether sports are the main objective of travel or not. Sport events of various kinds and sizes attract tourists as participants or spectators and destinations try to add local flavours to them to distinguish themselves and provide authentic local experiences,” authority explained.
UN Tourism says Sports tourism is a fundamental axis, generating around 10% of the world’s expenditure on tourism and has an estimated growth rate of 17.5% between 2023-2030 (Sports Tourism Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report), moving masses intra and intercontinentally.
“Sports tourism can promote social, economic and environmental action, it accelerates development and can leave a long-lasting positive legacy.”
Among the crowd was Kabelo Mhlongo, a proud Sundowns fan. “Buying food from these vendors is part of the match-day experience; you can smell the meat from far away. It’s affordable, tasty, and it feels good to support people from the community.”
Still, not everything was smooth. Some vendors said they struggled to find safe spots to trade and were sometimes told to move by metro police. “We just want space to work; we’re not causing trouble, we’re making a living,” said Mokoena
As the final whistle blew and fans poured out singing and dancing, vendors packed their stands, tired but satisfied. For them, the game was more than just 90 minutes of football; it was a day of hard work, pride, and hope on the streets outside Loftus.
