For almost 20 years, residents of Toekomsrus have been struggling without a sports stadium. A rugby club that was recently founded, in the hopes of keeping children off the streets, shared their struggles without a sports ground.

Logan Wilson, co-founder of 2kies Rugby Club and a community activist, shared her concern for the unavailability of the stadium. She noted there were talks of the repair of the stadium and despite funds being awarded for it, nothing was ever done.

“We are sick and tired of this. The stadium is now just a white elephant,” said Wilson.

• Also read: Springbok inspireer 2kies Rugbyklub se jong talent

She continued that this puts them as a rugby club in a difficult position, as they don’t have a sports ground to use where their players could train. They have to hire the Greenhills Stadium for rugby matches; however, they don’t have the funds to do so.

With the high crime rate in Toekomsrus, they are also struggling to arrange friendly rugby matches.

Currently, they are making use of a field adjacent to a school; however, they do not have bathrooms at the field, and there is pollution due to burning taking place behind the field, which Wilson described as a seasonal issue.

Despite all these challenges, she stated that they try to stay positive, as the most important thing for them is to get children off the streets and away from drug abuse.

• Read more here: New gear, new confidence for Faygee Boys

“A child on the sports court is a child out of court,” said Wilson.

Rand West City Local Municipality’s spokesperson, Phillip Montshiwa, was approached for comment, who said that, “Construction is well underway. A thorough feasibility study has been completed, and a skilled contractor has been appointed. We understand the community’s concerns and we want to assure everyone that the municipality is fully committed to completing this project efficiently and successfully.”