Polokwane Muni sourcing funds to complete softball stadium
The Polokwane Municipality's sport and recreation manager Mantlako Sebaka said the remainder of the budget for the city's softball stadium seems to have been depleted by unforeseen costs.
POLOKWANE – Months after a commitment was made that the newly appointed contractor would be on site three months ago to complete the softball stadium in the city, progress on the unfinished structure remains static, giving rise to anxiety among fans and players of the sport that it could remain a pipe dream.
Mayor John Mpe was quoted to have said that a new contractor should be on site by June to complete the 31% of outstanding work on the project, after approximately R69m of theR90m budget had already been spent, according to municipal spokesperson, Thipa Selala.
During a second visit since August to the site next to the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex on Friday, it was apparent that the project was at a standstill.
You might also want to read: Future of Polokwane’s R90m softball stadium remains a mystery
Enquiring about the municipality’s earlier commitment, sport and recreation manager Mantlako Sebaka said the municipality was still sourcing funds for the completion of the project.
“The mayor is in talks with stakeholders such as the Department of Cooperative Governance to raise the financial resources to complete the stadium,” he remarked.
The remainder of the budget seems to have been depleted by unforeseen costs.
You might also want to read: Construction of Polokwane’s softball stadium halted for now
“The cost of materials increased over time, affecting the contractor’s ability to complete the stadium and in terms of the stoppage, there have been engagements with the contractor,” Mpe said and explained that the contractor requested an escalation of prices on the bill of quantities due to the fact that, after the pandemic, “things went skyrocketing” in terms of materials.
Earlier in the year, the municipality said the reasons for the slow progress were vandalism of the construction camp, suspension of work permits and extensive rainfall from November 2021 until March 2022.
Sebaka said construction will continue once the sourcing phase is complete.
