LIMPOPO – Well-known artist Khakhathi “Muthuwanthu” Tshisikule, who is also a councillor at the Thulamela Municipality, has criticised the municipality for scaring away the province’s top soccer teams with the excessive rent charged for using the Thohoyandou Stadium.
In the latest development, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM), a team playing in the Motsepe Championship Foundation League, announced that they would be moving to the Dr Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein.
The rent charged for using the local stadium was stated as one of the main reasons for them leaving Thohoyandou.
Thulamela Municipality’s practice of charging excessive rent for whoever wants to use the Thohoyandou Stadium has been criticised over the past years.
Read more: Thohoyandou Stadium tariffs referred back to council
In 2021, Black Leopards announced that they would relocate because they could not afford to rent the stadium. At the time, the rent was R27 795 per match, after a 36% discount.
Black Leopards subsequently moved their home venue to the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, where they paid R5 000 per match.
Last year, Leopards moved their matches to the Malamulele Stadium after signing an agreement with the Collins Chabane Municipality. This municipality made the stadium available free of charge to Leopards.
Read more: Official new home stadium for Black Leopards FC
Tshisikule was very outspoken about Thulamela Municipality’s attitude towards sport clubs, especially the top teams.
He said that the clubs were expected to pay around R57 000 to play a home game at the Thohoyandou Stadium.
Tshisikule, who represents the International Revelation Congress (IRC) in the council, said he had written many letters to the municipality in trying to establish the reasons behind the rental tariffs.
He said the situation affects more than just the soccer teams and their supporters.
“Even the hawkers who sell their goods during the big matches are now left stranded, because of a selfish municipality. We are going to mobilise the community to march to the municipality and hand over a memorandum to demanded that the tariffs be reduced.”
One of the hawkers who sells at the stadium, Maria Mudau, said she has been trading at the stadium for as long as she can remember.
“I have not known any other job, and they now want to put me out of business. They are working and have a steady income, while we depend on selling for a living. We voted for them, and this is how they repay us,” she said.
The Thulamela Municipality’s sports manager, Ronald Makhadi, commented that that stadium tariffs were fixed. He said representatives of the three local teams had met with the mayor to discuss the issue, but he did not know what the outcome of the meeting was. Makhadi said that the council would revisit the issue of tariffs in the middle of the year.
