THE once famous sports venue, Caledonian Stadium in Tshwane has been demolished and residents want it to return to its former glory.
Lucky Manna, the owner of Arcadia Shepherds, one of the soccer clubs in Tshwane, said he doesn't understand why the 400-seater stadium was demolished.
He said the stadium has a historical background and fond memories of soccer legends such as the late Thomas Madigage.
“We're trying to come up with ways to return the field to its former glory so that young people from areas such as Hammanskraal, Soshanguve, Ga-Rankuwa, Atteridgeville and Mamelodi can benefit from it. We will approach the city to get more clarity on how this will be achieved,” he said.
Meanwhile, EFF in Tshwane accused the City of Tshwane for failing to preserve the stadium, which has now turned into a nest for nyaope addicts. They called on investors to rescue this stadium and return it to its former glory.
Regional EFF chairman Obakeng Ramabodu said the city had planned to turn the stadium into a park, which they disagreed with considering the historical background of the stadium. He said any investor who wants to rescue the stadium is welcome.
“This place could be used by our young people who want to play soccer. This city is on autopilot, there is no leadership here and no one wants to be held accountable. A deputy mayor has been appointed to oversee among others, infrastructure issues. We will see if she will be able to address this challenge,” said Ramabodu.
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"We're still going to get the contractor who was appointed to find out where the R67 million is because this place looks nothing like that amount of money.”
After visiting the stadium last month, Tshwane deputy mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya said the issue of Caledonian Stadium is not new to her.
“The first approach is to deal with the past. I've received a report and I still have to meet with the accounting officer so we can confirm if we have the same details. In relation to the past, the team has informed me that the contract has been terminated and we are starting from scratch, which is bad news, but it gives us a clean slate where we can talk about the future without lingering issues from the previous contractor,” said Moya.
“In terms of the future, there are two processes, one starting immediately where we must review the plans of the city and see what is possible. We still have to go for our Integrated Development Planning (IDP) consultation. From my side, I'll lobby to include this project in the IDP so we can go back to this community and ask for their blessings to include it in our budget and our plans for the next financial year.”
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