This is according to DA MP and Mopani political head for Mopani, Solly Malatsi who visited the complex this past week. “The facility now resembles an abandoned kraal. It is yet another example of the municipality’s consistent neglect of public amenities in the area.” The sports complex was first built in August 2014 with the promise of a soccer field with a pavilion, a basketball and a tennis court. The project which was earmarked to cost R6.5 million has three dressing rooms with sanitation services and two floodlights.
Malatsi said it was due to be completed in February 2015 but the facility was in a state of disrepair. “The dressing rooms are dilapidated, the grandstand is falling apart while the basketball and tennis courts need to be completely rebuilt if they are ever to be used again. “The only activity that is taking place at the facility is the livestock that has taken over for permanent grazing land and a home.” He said they would be engaging with the Limpopo Provincial Legislature for the intervention of the MEC of Sports, Arts and Culture, Thandi Moraka. “It is completely unacceptable that a facility, that should be of great use to sport-loving youngsters in the area, has become a white elephant as a result of the ANC incompetence in the Giyani Municipality.”
Also read: R6.5 million Giyani stadium now a crime hotspot
Greater Giyani Municipality spokesperson, Steven Mabunda, told the Herald that the sports complex was one of the projects that the municipality was trying to unlock after stalling due to historical challenges. Other stalled projects include the Mageva Sports Centre as well as the landfill site, both of which have since been unlocked and completed, he said. Mabunda said that Homu Sports Compex was actually complete as per the initial work scope that excluded the grass pitch and the canopy or shelter. “At that point, the municipality wanted to hand over the facility for use, but the community was adamant that they were not going to use it without a grass laid soccer pitch, despite the municipality’s commitment to address their grievances at a later stage.”
At the time, the initial scope of the facility did not include a grass pitch.He said the disagreement about the grass pitch between the institution and the community opened up a gap for criminals to vandalise and steal whatever thing they found essential at the sport centre. Mabunda said the current rehabilitation plan included a budget of R5 million to lay grass on the pitch with a proper irrigation system, to equip the grandstand with a canopy or shelter and the overall renovation of the vandalised facilities. “We have appointed a consultant to do scoping and a preliminary report has been presented. We now await engineers to complete designs. “Once that is done the tender for construction will go out. Hopefully, this will be done on or before December this year,” said Mabunda.
