The MEC for sports, arts, culture and recreation, Thandi Shongwe, has challenged Nkomazi Local Municipality and the business fraternity to seriously consider building a decent stadium in this area.

Shongwe was speaking during the annual Selati Cup Awards in Malalane on June 27.

She raised this issue after the runaway successful hosting of the Selati Cup. This tournament, an amateur football competition that sees over 50 male soccer teams and 16 female teams battling one another for the coveted trophies, is held over four months.

The games are spread across the region, covering both Nkomazi east and west, in stadiums such as the Driekoppies, KaMhlushwa, KaMaqhekeza and Mangweni.

“This competition has proven to be a great success and I can boldly say that it is the only biggest soccer tournament in the province that attracts a huge number of spectators. I have personally been to some of the games and there was no space to park the cars and not enough seats or grandstands for the soccer fans,” said Shongwe.

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“The Selati Cup has shown us that we need a decent stadium in Nkomazi, which will accommodate more spectators. I want to challenge the local municipality and local businesses to look into the issue as soon as possible,” she said.

Shongwe argued that due to the lack of a decent stadium, Nkomazi will never get to host bigger soccer events, and this will deprive local children of an opportunity to see their soccer stars closer to home.

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Echoing Shongwe’s call, was Mboniseni Dlamini, an ardent football supporter, who said the stadiums are always packed to capacity during the Selati Cup games, leaving many supporters watching the games standing in the scorching sun.