How not to build a stadium

The Waterval Sports Facility has been standing unused for years after work on the football field and athletics track stalled. Photo: Thembi Siaga

• A sports stadium in Waterval, near Elim, stands incomplete and unused, eight years after construction began.
• R40-million has been spent on the project, according to the Makhado Municipality’s annual reports.
• The football field and athletics track are yet to be finished and none of the completed facilities are being used.
• The current contractor says it aims to complete the work by the end of October.

Eight years after construction began on the Waterval Sports Facility near Elim, it is still not complete. The Makhado Municipality has spent about R40-million on the project, according to annual reports.

The project was meant to transform a local field into a stadium capable of hosting tournaments. Construction started in 2017. Changing rooms, a guard house, a 2,000-seater pavilion and tennis courts were built after multiple delays. But the football field and athletics track are still not ready to use and none of the other facilities are being used.

The current contractor, Mvuno Geo-environmental Civil and Construction, is responsible for finishing the field and track. Grass seedlings were planted on the football pitch last year, but weeds started to outgrow the grass. New grass is now being planted, using a sodding method. The athletics track still needs to have its top, all-weather surface laid.

Mvuno’s site manager Vincent Mutsila said they are waiting for imported materials for the track. “We expect to finish by the end of October, depending on when the materials arrive,” he said.

Local footballer Victor Chabalala, of local football team 7 Stars, says the delays are affecting young players. While they wait for the sports facility to be completed, they train on a dusty field.

“Our boots and balls wear out fast, and there’s no security,” said Chabalala. “When we play away on proper fields, it’s a big adjustment. We’d be very happy if the stadium were finally finished.”

On 16 September, the EFF led a march to the municipal offices in Waterval to hand over a memorandum of demands. Residents called for answers on when the stadium will be completed. The memo warned that the community might take matters into their own hands if nothing was done.

The project has been funded mainly through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), with top-ups from the municipality.

According to the municipality’s annual reports, R7.5-million was spent on the project in 2018/19, R10.9-million in 2019/20, and R16.5-million in 2020/21. The municipality did not receive clean audit opinions in any of these years, so the expenditure figures should be treated with caution.

In 2021, the project stalled. The annual reports provide various reasons for the delays, including the covid pandemic and delays in sourcing materials. The 2023/24 annual report notes that the contractor was charged penalties for missing the deadline and was eventually terminated.

Diges Group, the contractor originally responsible for the running track, football pitch, and a borehole, told the Limpopo Mirror in 2023 that they completed what was practically possible, but could not finish it because other contractors and the municipality first had to complete the electric connection and installation of the pavilion, which was not done in time. The material for the running track expired before it could be used.

Mvuno Geo-environmental Civil and Construction was appointed to finish the project, and another R4-million was allocated in the 2024/25 financial year, which ended on 30 June. No additional money was allocated for the 2025/26 financial year.

In May 2024, then municipal spokesperson Louis Bobodi promised the stadium would be ready by June. On 22 August this year, we asked the new spokesperson, Mpho Rathando, for details on costs, delays, and outstanding work. Despite repeated follow-ups, the only response so far has been: “The municipality will comment once the project is completed.”

Published with the Limpopo Mirror.

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