Ruimsig Athletics Stadium set to receive R14m cosmetic makeover
Repair of once-world-class athletics tracks phase one of a two-phased six-month project to begin before year-end.
The first few hurdles have been leaped in a race to regain international standards.
Athletes, job seekers, and community leaders gathered at Ruimsig Athletics Stadium on September 14 to hear how the City Of Johannesburg (CoJ) planned to bring back the facility’s shine. Ward 97 councillor Jacques Hoon introduced the refurbishment project which will replace the tartan athletics and recondition the fixtures of the key asset. Overseen by Johannesburg Social Housing Company under their community development mandate, the project will cost R14m and run for four to six months beginning in October.
A visual survey of the stadium was done in September and October 2022 by Ditlou Consulting, with Big O Construction the company awarded the tender to carry out the work. Improvements will be made to precinct plumbing, electrical issues, flooring, and fittings while including a revamp of the ablutions. On the security front, CCTV will be installed, the palisade fence will be replaced with Clearview fencing with barbed wire added for good measure.
Every project comes with job opportunities and more than half of the gathering was made up of residents of the Peacock Informal Settlement, which borders the golf practice range on Hole-In-One Avenue. Applications for the Community Liaison Officer (CLO) position opened on September 15 and will close on September 21 at noon, with a separate meeting being held on September 22 at the same venue to discuss the work packets that SMMEs can tender for.
The question and answer session prompted an inquiry regarding potentially unfinished business. Super Streak Investments (SSI) is a consortium that has since 2016 sought to invest in the stadium. The private investors submitted a tender that would pump R180m into the precinct to develop it into an elite sporting playground that would cater to 33 sporting codes and provide full-time employment for over 50 staff.
A representative from SSI stated that their offer had not been formally rejected and questioned why the CoJ would spend R14m instead of accepting R180m worth of development funding. Hoon replied that this project had been formulated and agreed upon via the Integrated Development Plan process and was thankful for the opportunity to bring this reinvestment into the community.
As the sun set on the precinct in the hour before the meeting, the track and field was teeming with athletes of all disciplines as well as onlooking parents. The project will be split into two phases, the first being the athletics track and the second being the main structure, leading to the temporary closure of some sections. Athletes questioned the sensibility of the project’s timing, as it came at the peak of athletic season preparations. One athlete warned of the dire practical and financial consequences of laying the tartan track improperly.
To ensure constant communication throughout the project, it was agreed that the facility’s manager would create a forum for all interested and affected parties. This group was equally concerned with what would happen following the refurbishment. Hoon said that preserving the facility would be an ‘ongoing project’ that would require a collective effort in using the facility in a ‘conscientious’ manner.
The final sticking point was the availability of jobs for the Peacock residents and it was explained that the settlement falls in Mogale City and that CoJ regulations dictate that jobs remain within the ward of the relevant project. This sparked a momentary uproar ending with the Peacock residents trudging despondently out of the meeting before its conclusion. With the terms and conditions agreed upon, athletes and sports fans now wait for prompt delivery.
