Alexandra Stadium to get R4.5 million upgrade
A whopping R4.5 million will be spent by the City of Johannesburg in its upgrade of the Alexandra Stadium.
The stadium will be out of bounds for the next six months due to the upgrade. Secretary general of the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association, Mafika Morajane said they were not informed in good time, but were ordered to vacate the offices by 28 March. The association has moved to the 3 Square Sports Grounds in 13th Avenue.
When plans for the renovations were first raised, Morajane said no timelines were given and the association was under the impression that the city council would engage with them further. “We were under the impression they would consult us in terms of what our needs were for a new-look stadium.
“We were surprised when we got a call from the Region E informing us about the closure of the stadium on 28 March. The telephonic communication came a week before the closure deadline. We have never received any official written communication from them,” Morajane said.
“We are being undermined and treated like nobodies yet we are the biggest stakeholder in the use of the stadium.”
However, after intense negotiations, Region E finally gave in and asked the football association to submit its desires for a new look Alexandra Stadium. The association then asked for, among other things, that a high fence be erected around the field.
“Our teams, including visiting ones, are losing a lot of soccer balls into the streets and adjacent properties and these balls are too expensive to replace,” Morajane said.
