· R11 million was allegedly mismanaged in upgrade of Monsterlus/ Hlogotlou Stadium
· A DA oversight inspection found no evidence of upgrades or refurbishments listed in the project’s scope of work.
· The DA calls on the Municipal Manager to investigate the mismanagement of project funds and address the state of the stadium.
The DA in Elias Motsoaledi will write to Municipal Manager, Reginah Mahlakwane, to investigate the alleged mismanagement of the R11 million in funds that were allocated to upgrade the Monsterlus/Hlogotlou Stadium.
During our oversight inspection of the stadium, we found no evidence of upgrades or refurbishments. The pitch is non-functional, there are collapsed walls and fences, vandalised infrastructure, and the toilets and other facilities have fallen into disrepair. View photos here, here, here, here and here.
Elias Motsoaledi has wasted R11 million on these supposed upgrades but the sports facility remains in a dire state. The scope of this project was meant to include, among others:
· Installation of high-mast lighting at the stadium,
· Equipping of boreholes,
· Construction of sports field layers,
· Planting of the field lawn, and
· Taxi court (pick up and drop off structure).
It is unacceptable that a stadium that has the potential to boost local economic activity, generate revenue for the municipality, host soccer matches, be a hub for grassroots sport, host athletic events as well as community gatherings, has been neglected and left in a state of disrepair.
In fact, in the past the poor state of the stadium has seen it fail to comply with PSL standards and attract teams like Sekhukhune United to host their home matches there. The facility management and condition of this stadium should be aligned to address the sporting and recreational goals of the municipality.
The DA will not sit back and watch this ANC-led municipality run our facilities into the ground. When elected in the upcoming elections, the DA will get municipalities working for all through maintaining, upgrading and restoring neglected public spaces like sports facilities and partnering with responsible private sector organisations to help provide well-managed public spaces.
The DA is committed to ensuring responsible spending of municipal resources in Elias Motsoaledi in order for residents to receive adequate municipal services. We will closely monitor this matter to ensure transparency and accountability.