Chaos broke out at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Thursday after an estimated 25 000 job seekers arrived for the City’s “A Day of 1 000 Opportunities” event, far exceeding the venue’s capacity.

Several people were injured in what witnesses and officials described as a stampede outside the stadium. According to the City of Cape Town, SAPS Public Order Policing used a stun grenade to control the crowd. The City said reports that live shots were fired were “false and unfounded”.

The event was hosted by CapeBPO and the City’s special purpose vehicle as part of a push to connect young job seekers with opportunities in Cape Town’s growing contact centre industry, according to the Cape Times.

Demand for jobs overwhelms the event

Before the event, Mayco member for Economic Growth James Vos said the initiative would offer more than a typical job fair. Speaking ahead of the gathering, Vos said CapeBPO and 12 major contact centre operators would provide career guidance, interviews and training opportunities for those not hired on the day, the Cape Times reported.

But the overwhelming turnout quickly turned the event into a crowd-control emergency.

The City said people started queuing in the early hours of the morning to be screened for possible job opportunities. Metro Police and SAPS were then called in as the crowds swelled outside the venue.

City insists operations inside stayed orderly

In a statement on Thursday evening, the City said emergency services were on site throughout the day and that those injured were immediately helped with medical care.

It also said officials from the City, CapeBPO and participating companies continued processing applications inside the stadium “in an orderly fashion”, while law enforcement and other security teams remained on site.

Ward councillor Rashid Adams told the Cape Times that no shots were fired. “There was a bit of a stampede, and a few people got injured. Police were there to secure crowd control,” he said.

Online applications still open

The City has urged those who could not enter the stadium to apply online instead.

The incident also highlighted the scale of unemployment and the huge demand for work in Cape Town. As the City itself acknowledged, the massive turnout showed just how badly residents need initiatives that create real job opportunities.