In the past year, GroundUp and the Limpopo Mirror have reported on a string of sports complexes and stadiums, each built for tens of millions of rands, but never completed or used. Several have been left to fall into ruin.
Source: Reuters.
Together, the projects have cost municipalities more than R200m and have not served their communities. And these are just the stadiums that have come to our attention.
In November, there was a report on the R22m Makhuvha Sports Complex, 15km outside Thohoyandou in Vhembe District, which has soccer grounds, a stadium and two swimming pools. The facility opened in 2012, but the two swimming pools were never used, and the pitch is overgrown. Thulamela Local Municipality blames the theft of the electricity transformer two years ago, but the decay clearly started long before that.
In October, there was a report on the R37m Vhuilafuri Stadium in Madabani, west of Louis Trichardt, under the Makhado Municipality, which was incomplete and more than two years behind schedule. It has an unplayable soccer pitch because there is no water.
There was also report on the Dhavana Stadium in Vuwani, which is still unfinished more than six years after construction began. The project was designed in three phases. The Collins Chabane Municipality spokesperson declined to comment, asking a reporter, “Why are you investigating our stadium?” Municipal documents suggest more than R60m has been allocated, and at least R40m spent
In September, in an article titled How not to build a stadium, there was an investigation into the R40m spent on the Waterval sports facility and stadium near Elim, also under the Makhado Municipality. It was incomplete and had stood unused for eight years.
In August, there was a report on the R30m Giyani Section E stadium, started 10 years overdue and incomplete. Greater Giyani Municipality said its funds were exhausted, but it had now budgeted R8.7m to revive the project. The spokesperson said there was no need for security, as “nothing remains to be destroyed”.
In April, there was a report on the R21m Tshivhuyuni sports stadium, 35km southeast of Louis Trichardt, which the contractor abandoned in January, after over R10m was spent on it. Another failure under the Makhado Municipality.
The Limpopo Mirror has also reported on the R43m Madimbo Stadium, completed in 2013 by the Musina Municipality but now vandalised and unused. The publication also reported on the R16m Mbulaheni Mulaudzi Stadium. Built by a non-profit organisation with National Lotteries Commission money, the stadium has been left vandalised and unfinished. The family of Mbulaheni Mulaudzi, the Olympic medallist after whom the stadium is named, has said they want his name removed from the stadium.
Published originally on GroundUp
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