WITH less than a month to go before superstar Rihanna’s Diamonds World Tour to South Africa, FNB Stadium management says it has tightened security for the concert.Stadium Management SA (SMSA), the agency responsible for the stadium, says it is ready to host “friendly yet secure” events.

The assurance comes as the stadium is still smarting from an embarrassing R3-million robbery earlier this year. The brazen heist happened just hours after back-to-back concerts by Bon Jovi and Justin Bieber on May 11 and 12.

All the cash that was collected from food and drinks outlets as well as merchandise stalls was stolen. Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini saidno one had been arrested in connection with the robbery, and police were still following several leads.

Big Concerts managing director Justin van Wyk said investigations were continuing and that they had been advised by the police to not comment in the media.

During the meticulously planned heist at the stadium, the robbers chipped away at the wall into the strongroom, then used stepladders and scaling equipment to get to the safe.

SMSA chief executive Jacques Grobbelaar said they were ready for RiRi’s megashow. They had appointed a top security expert and established a “multistakeholder security committee which will oversee SMSA’s implementation of its aim to enhance the levels of safety and security”.

The committee includes representatives of the police, private security service providers and special event risk management advisers.
“It will focus on proactive ways of preventing a repeat of the heist by looking at all risk factors,” he said.

“We have recently appointed a leading specialist in major event and stadium risk management. His name is Patrick Ronan and he will be working with us with all our events.”

Ronan is a veteran crowd and big events security expert who specialises in surveillance. He delivered, among others, the Cricket World Cup in 2003 and the recent Nelson Mandela Sport and Cultural Day at FNB Stadium.

SMSA is also in the process of contracting new security companies.
“New companies and those that were previously contracted with us are currently sending us proposals.
“This process will help us eliminate weaker security companies and help us take in the more efficient ones,” Grobbelaar said.

RiRi’s tour will start at FNB Stadium on October 13 and move to Cape Town Stadium three days later. Golden circle tickets for the two concerts sold out just hours after they were made available in April. — Sunday World.

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