The SABC has apologised after its streaming platform, SABC+, buckled during Bafana Bafana’s Fifa World Cup match against Mexico on Thursday night, locking many users out of the most keenly anticipated South African fixture in 16 years for much of the first half.

In a statement on Friday, the public broadcaster said SABC+ stabilised only about 10 minutes before half time.

The cause, according to the SABC, was a content-encryption update — which it described as a standard step for major international sporting events — that forced a reset of the platform and required some users to log in again. Shortly before kick-off, a flood of users tried to log in and verify access at once, which the broadcaster said placed “unprecedented strain” on the system, triggering instability and a second reset before the platform was brought back up.

The SABC reported a peak of 477 000 concurrent users — nearly three times its previous record — alongside 18 million attempted logins and 2.4 million cumulative viewers by the final whistle.

But while the broadcaster described the collapse as a product of extraordinary demand, its own account points to a self-inflicted element: the decision to push an encryption update, and the mass re-login it required, in the minutes before a concurrency spike it could comfortably have anticipated. The SABC conceded that an app update notice issued shortly before kick-off “added to viewer frustration” and that its timing “fell short of what our viewers deserve”.

It said its technical teams had reviewed the incident and were strengthening “platform capacity and login infrastructure” ahead of upcoming matches, while also reviewing internal communication protocols.

Concurrency

Interest in the match was always going to be enormous. It was South Africa’s first World Cup appearance since it became the first African host nation in 2010, and it doubled as the tournament’s opening fixture, played at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Bafana lost 2-0 to co-hosts Mexico and finished with nine men after two red cards.

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The episode raises the more pressing question of whether the platform can cope as the tournament wears on. The SABC holds free-to-air rights to 35 World Cup matches across its television channels, sports channel and streaming platform, including every Bafana Bafana game and the final, so concurrency is likely to climb again when South Africa face Czechia on 18 June — and higher still should they reach the knockout rounds. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media