THE City of Ekurhuleni has succumbed to pressure and is now dancing to Highlands Park’s tunes.
The municipality has agreed to honour its promise to upgrade Makhulong Stadium following an outburst by the club’s boss Sinky Mnisi.
The club shareholder accused the municipality of making empty promises and renovate the stadium to meet the PSL standards.
Mnisi told SunSport yesterday that he had a fruitful meeting with Ekurhuleni MMC for Sport, Arts and Recreation, Dora Mlambo, and head of department Vincent Campbell.
Mlambo and Campbell were sent by municipality mayor Mzwandile Masina to resolve the matter after SunSport’s intervention by interacting with the mayor.
They agreed that the issues will be divided into two categories – immediate and those to be attended in January after the new fiscal.
TODAY UPGRADE:
- Repair the damaged pitch.
NEXT UPGRADES
- Repair the floodlights
- Pave the area where the broadcast TV trucks park.
- Renovation of the delapitated VIP and Media area.
JANUARY UPDATES:
- Extension of the perimeter wall.
- Renovating and upgrading the main grand stand.
- Installation of a standby generator, in case of power failure.
- Installation of seats and PA system.
A delighted Mnisi said: “I can safely say I don’t see Highlands Park moving out of Ekurhuleni anymore. I am also happy that they acted faster to resolve this issue in the interest of the community and team because other political parties were using this matter to gain popularity.
“I want to thank the mayor for sending representatives to discuss this issue with us, and I am happy the meeting was held at Makhulong Stadium, where there is a problem.”
Mnisi revealed that the municipality will also shelter the main grand stand in January, but that will depend on the budget.
He went on: “Their budget in October will determine all renovations set for January, which will be phase two priority. As the team, we are happy to work hand in glove with the municipality. When they talk about Batho Pele (people first), this is what they mean and thumbs up to them.”
