A municipal action to renovate the Popo Molefe Stadium in Fochville is not proceeding as planned.

The Merafong City Local Municipality announced last year that it would upgrade this facility. Although the Popo Molefe Stadium was a beautiful facility that hosted provincial sports events a decade ago, it has since been badly plundered.

The problems started when the municipality allowed a contractor to build a netball court on the athletics track. After this, the number of people using the stadium dropped drastically. It was later badly vandalised, with the worst damage being done during the Covid-19 pandemic.

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSmm3tTfu/

Although a contractor began erecting clear-view fencing around the stadium and the adjacent open fields at the beginning of the year, the workers stopped last week because they had not been paid by February 11. The workers told the Herald that the whole project to upgrade the stadium comprised eight phases, which were supposed to be completed in five years.

“We really built fast. No one could complain about the quality of our work. Because of this, even the engineer tried to help us to get our money,” one of the supervisors, Daniel Nokwane, complained. After many complaints, the workers were eventually paid on February 15.

Although the Herald asked the municipality’s marketing and communications manager, Temba Fezani, when the project is going to be completed and whether the municipality monitored the way in which their contractors treat their employees, no response was received by printing time.