The Popo Molefe Stadium in Kokosi remains completely unusable, leaving local youth with nowhere to play sport during their school holiday.

Once a beautiful facility capable of hosting major provincial sports events, the stadium has been reduced to a ruined shell.

Its decline began roughly a decade ago when the municipality allowed a contractor to build a netball court directly on top of the athletics track. This bizarre decision caused user numbers to drop drastically, leaving the site quiet and vulnerable. Over the years, the stadium was heavily plundered and vandalised, with the worst of the destruction taking place during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Residents were overjoyed last October when the municipality finally announced plans to renovate the beloved facility. However, the project collapsed during its very first phase, which involved erecting a fence around the site.

Work came to a sudden halt in February when the appointed contractor stopped paying its staff. Despite the lack of wages, employees were pressured to keep working.

Supervisor Daniel Nokwane explained the situation:
“We were paid the last time on February 14, but the contractor kept on pushing us to do more work.”
The dedicated team continued working until April 27 without receiving any further pay. In an attempt to keep the project going, the contractor brought in extra workers from Bloemfontein, but they also walked out after being left unpaid.

Even the stadium’s security guards have not received their full wages, though they continue to guard the site simply to put food on the table.

With the project abandoned and the municipality failing to resolve the payment dispute, criminals have targeted the site. Thugs have already begun stealing sections of the newly installed fence. Fortunately, some of the thieves were caught with the stolen fencing near Lenasia, and a court case is currently ongoing.

Supervisor Nokwane has repeatedly tried to contact the ward councillor and municipal officials responsible for overseeing the project. He has urged them to hold the non-paying contractor to account, but he says they are refusing to help and are dodging his questions.

The Herald approached the municipality’s marketing and communication manager, Temba Fezani, for comment on the stalled project and unpaid workers. However, no feedback was received by the time of going to print.