Dr Vusumzi Kumalo, from the Department of History and Politics, led a thought-provoking reflection on Orlando Stadium and the resultant struggle over Soweto’s first sports arena and cultural hub.
He explained that after years of community struggle, Orlando Stadium opened its gates in 1959 and quickly superseded its primary role as a sports arena.
It emerged as a site of resistance, cultural affirmation, and urban belonging.
“Initially, I thought I would just chronicle events from old newspapers. But after encountering a direction to archival material in Peter Alegi’s work, I realised the stadium represented a claim to urban belonging for Black people, who were constantly told they were only in the city temporarily,” Dr Kumalo reflected.
He emphasised that Orlando Stadium’s creation emerged from a two-decade struggle for Black recreational facilities, symbolising progress, dignity, and collective ownership for the community.
Dr Kumalo highlighted how, due to apartheid’s repressive laws, Soweto lacked accessible cultural spaces. As a result, Orlando Stadium became a gathering place for music, weddings, and political events.
“People could watch beloved national figures like Kaiser Motaung playing football at Orlando Stadium. The stadium also hosted international artists like The Staple Singers in 1962 and Jimmy Cliff in 1980, as well as a wedding in 1959 that attracted over 15,000 people”.
“The stadium was a site where sports, music, and politics intertwined. It carried memory,” he added.
Dr Vusumzi Kumalo and Siyakudumisa Zicina, programme director and associate lecturer
The seminar sparked lively debate in the Council Chambers, with the recurring question being how to adapt to modernisation without disregarding the importance of memory.
Responding to this concern, Dr Kumalo expressed frustration over the 2010 World Cup redevelopment, which led to the erasure of the old Orlando Stadium without conducting heritage impact assessments, gathering oral histories, or consulting the community.
“Justice was not done to the memories of those who built, used, and cherished that space. They could have preserved the façade and integrated the new with the old, allowing people to still see and remember what was there,” he said.
Dr Kumalo’s personal connection to Soweto, and specifically to the stadium, led him to ask why such an important subject had never been explored with academic rigour. This personal connection sparked a research project, initiated three years ago, with the aim of producing a full-scale book.
The seminar served as a powerful approach to urban development that honours the lived experiences and memories of Black South Africans. Showcasing how the preservation of multi-layered spaces like the Orlando Stadium allows future generations to not only remember, but to critically engage with the past.