AFVA formalises request to rename Alexandra Stadium

The Alexandra Football Veterans Association (AFVA) has decided to press ahead and formalise its decision to lobby for the renaming of the iconic Alexandra Stadium after the late township football and education stalwart Dr Leepile Taunyane.

This decision was taken on 21 February at an informal meeting of the AFVA at the offices of the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association (ANLFA) which are housed at the stadium.

The formalisation of the ‘project rename Alexandra Stadium’ was raised by a member of the AFVA, Jack Sibeko.

“If we are serious about this project, then I suggest we press ahead and formalise the request so that it would be easy to track its progress with the authorities at the City of Johannesburg,” said Sibeko.

He was seconded by Eric Maingele, a former Moroka Lions member who later formed his own Mighty Angels Football Club, who suggested that names of possible candidates for the renaming of the stadium could be put into a hat and the veterans could then vote on a candidate.

A handful of names were put forward such as Rodger Sishi and Taunyane and by a show of hands, Taunyane, a former principal of Alexandra High School and other schools in Johannesburg, came to the fore.

Since it was an informal meeting, the chairperson of the AFVA, Simon ‘Mbazo’ Selepe, a former president of the then Alexandra Football Association, said they would write a report to the committee of the AFVA which would then formalise the decision and forward it to the ANLFA which is the mother body.

The ANLFA would then forward the request to the City after adding its own input to the project. “This is the best we can do under the circumstances since this has unfortunately been raised at an informal meeting with no minute taking,” said Selepe.

In 2008, the then Mayor of the City of Johannesburg Amos Masondo, renamed the stadium Meshack Kunene after a young ANC cadre killed in the township during the anti-apartheid struggle.

This did not go down well with the football fraternity, which claimed they were never consulted and led by their then president, the late Moss Selolo, refused to recognise the new name.

At the same time, Masondo renamed all the streets of the township after ANC cadres of the liberation struggle, with the exception of popular PAC stalwart Josias Madzunya. The community too cried foul and refused to recognise the new names, and even today people still refer to the streets by their old names.

ALSO READ: Expert footballer passes his last ball