Mamelodi residents, together with different sports organisations, have raised their concerns about the state of the Rethabile sports ground in Mamelodi East.
They claimed the facility has been neglected and abandoned by Tshwane Metro since 2016, which saw criminals taking advantage of the situation and starting to vandalise the facility.
Philimon Maseko, who stays nearby, said Rethabile Sports Ground is no longer a facility but just a skeleton.
“The roof, door frames, windows, and other fitting material, worth thousands of Rand, have been taken,” said Maseko.
“It was sad to see the facility being destroyed from one day to the next.”
He said the facility played an important role when it came to the youth in the area, which used to keep Mamelodi children busy after school and on weekends.
“In the past, the facility was fully functional with almost everything, which once featured four tennis courts, two basketball courts, and three soccer fields.”
In fact, there was nothing left of the facility except for the soccer field – even the goalposts were stolen.
The local teams and community members complained that the facility had been destroyed by criminals and had turned into their hideout, but no one wanted to hear their cry-outs.
Maseko added that those who just wanted to keep fit used to exercise at the site every morning.
Councillor Hendrick Mashao said the state of Rethabile sports ground was reported to Tshwane metro a year ago.
He said in fact two years ago they had to put pressure on the previous administration to erect a fence and gate, and employ 24-hour security guards.
“We are hopeful that with the appointment, Tshwane Sports Arts and Recreation will budget to fix the facility,” he said.
Other residents claimed it was no longer safe to train until late at the facility.
“Mamelodi has a lot of talented people, and this facility was a platform to develop those talents, but our children today find themselves roaming the streets of Mamelodi.
“Criminals are slowly removing bricks from the toilets and administration office,” he said.
Greg Mashilo of Tshwane Sport Council Region 6 said it was so sad to see the Rethabile Sports Ground abandoned, apparently for no reason.
He said a lot of people have applied to lease the facilities, but nobody knows what happened to those applications.
“We started complaining to the Tshwane metro about security at the sports field in 2016,” said Mashilo.
“The sports field was in a dire condition and urgently needed repairs. Criminals have already started removing the roof of the toilets and showers.”
He said Tshwane Metro should lease the facility to the people who have applied for the lease and they will look for sponsors to maintain these facilities.
“We launched complaints about the security and that it needed to be taken care of as soon as possible, but the Tshwane metro ignored the situation.
“Imagine abandoning a facility that was fully functioning for no apparent reason,” said Mashilo.
He was sure Tshwane Metro had no funds to fix these abandoned facilities because it would cost them millions.
“Tshwane metro must lease the property to Mamelodi residents or someone who is willing to look after the facility and also bring back the security guards to all Tshwane metro facilities,” said Mashilo.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said they were getting quotations for some of the much-needed repairs.
“In addition, there are ongoing engagements with potential donors to help with the cost of restoring the facility to its former state.”
Mashigo also said it should be emphasised that repairs in question will be considered once the provision of safeguarding the facility is in place or has been addressed.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
