It’s once bitten twice shy for Alex football
ALEX – Alex football hopes history will not repeat itself in the current upgrades of the stadium.
The football fraternity and the community of Alexandra at large are keeping their fingers crossed that history does not repeat itself regarding the refurbishment of the Alexandra Stadium.
In April 2014, the ANC-led administration of the City of Johannesburg set aside a whopping R4.5 million to be spent on envisaged upgrades to the stadium, a project which was to be overseen by then Ward 105 councillor Joyce Ngwenya.
The stadium was eventually closed for all activities for close to a year but no work ever took place except for the mere splashing of a bit of paint to the dilapidated ablution facilities and players’ change rooms A high fence was also erected behind the goalposts to prevent the balls of teams landing in the streets to which people often helped themselves to.
With no contractor appointed to do the job, the equipment and building materials earmarked for the massive revamping project were housed at the stadium offices and guarded by members of the then Expanded Public Works Programme.
The work to be done also included the razing of the grandstand, deepening of the pitch ground level, replanting of the grass, the building of new stands and the demolition of the Universal Church to make way for another grandstand. However, the equipment and materials started disappearing one by one and were never accounted for.
The project was eventually abandoned and a police case that was opened regarding the missing equipment never took off the ground and the R4.5 million went down the drain.
This was partly the reason why the football community of Alexandra protested widely when the current work was handed over to Ward 107 councillor Ambie Maseko as they did not want a repeat of the 2014/15 affair.
The City eventually relented.”It’s a case of once bitten twice shy as we then appointed Awonke Banele Sangcozi as a member of the steering committee to oversee the running of the project and ensure that 2014/15 does not repeat itself,” said president of the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association, Maisha Molepo.
