Softball players and clubs in and around Polokwane will have to wait somewhat longer to set foot on the state-of-the-art stadium that is under construction at the Peter Mokaba Sports Precinct.

Construction on the R90m stadium started in 2020 and was set for completion in August 2022, but progress was halted due to a financial dispute between the Polokwane Municipality and the contractor.

According to sources, construction came to a halt in January.

Manthlako Sebaka, the manager for sport and recreation at the municipality, says 80 people who were employed at the construction site will report for duty next week.

“Construction will resume before the end of next week.”

He says while it is a R90m project, budget expenditure at this point amounts to R69m.

Once completed, the five-diamond stadium is set to host international and local softball matches.

The stadium is expected to help position Polokwane as a sporting hub, and result in a boost for the local economy, including informal trade, small, medium, and micro enterprises, and the tourism and hospitality sectors.