PICS: Union Stadium – R21.6 million facility or building rubble dump?

Once the pride and joy of the historic greater Sophiatown area, the Union Stadium in Westbury, west of the Johannesburg city centre, was renovated for R21.6 million in 2018 but alleged shoddy work rendered the facility a safety hazard.

Vandals have also moved in, stripping bare the facility once used by soccer giants Kaizer XI, now Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows in the 1970’s and reduced the stadium to a heap of rubble.

Once the pride and joy of the historic greater Sophiatown area, the Union Stadium in Westbury, west of Johannesburg city centre, was renovated for R21.6 million in 2019 but alleged shoddy work rendered the facility a safety hazard: SUPPLIED

In September 1969, Kaizer XI, formed by current chiefs boss Kaizer Motaung, played its first game, against the Transvaal Coloured Professional Soccer League club, Invitational XI at the Stadium.

“It is a very emotive issue, particularly for us the older generation that is aware of the value of the stadium. In the mid-1980’s, football was the backbone of this community and the stadium was central to this,” former local amateur football star, Emanuel Sandows, said.

Reminiscing about memorable moments of the facility, the 63-year-old, fondly known by his football nickname Mantos, said they would marvel at the football wizardry of the likes of the late Orlando Pirates, Moroka Swallows and Verulam Suburbs star, Percy “Chippa” Moloi.

He said the iconic poet and struggle stalwart Donato Francisco Mattera, better known as Don Mattera, used to organise football tournaments in the stadium in the mid-1980’s.

Once the pride and joy of the historic greater Sophiatown area, the Union Stadium in Westbury, west of Johannesburg city centre, was renovated for R21.6 million in 2019 but alleged shoddy work rendered the facility a safety hazard: SUPPLIED

According to Sandows, the facility had security guards and was being partly used before Covid-19 lockdown struck, giving vandals an opportunity to strip it of fittings to sell as scrap-metal.

“I do not want to point fingers or politicise the matter but the material condition of the area has changed overtime. Drug abuse, crime and unemployment creeped in after 1994 and everything went awry for public facilities,” he lamented.

Between 2015 and 2018, the City of Johannesburg spent at least R10, 8-million upgrading the Union Stadium, which entailed the design and construction of two new soccer pitches, netball courts, valley ball courts and football courts.

Another R10.7-million was subsequently spent for the second phase of the refurbishment but there is very little to show for it and, to top it all, the stadium could not be used after it was declared a safety hazard due to structural deficiencies.

Once the pride and joy of the historic greater Sophiatown area, the Union Stadium in Westbury, west of Johannesburg city centre, was renovated for R21.6 million in 2019 but alleged shoddy work rendered the facility a safety hazard: SUPPLIED

Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Lebogang Maile revealed in a legislature response to DA that the facility was still closed and not accessible to the public because it was “condemned” as per the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHASA) in 2017 due to a huge crack inside the building.

“…as such, the entire buildings within the stadium including change rooms and toilets were closed. It was rendered not safe for use by the general public. The situation became worse during the lockdown when the buildings were stripped bare by thieves and vandals,” the MEC replied.

He also answered that the facility was under the protection of the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) security services but residents say was untrue or the guards were turning a blind eye as vandalism was still happening.

This also despite the facility being a stone’s throw away from the Sophiatown police station. siphom@citizen.co.za