Residents want Caledonian stadium revamped
Tshwane metro plans to demolish the Caledonian sports ground and replace it with a state-of-the-art park.
Pretorians have accused the metro of neglecting the historical Caledonian sports ground in Arcadia.
They claimed the 111-year-old sports ground, which includes a football field, could be used to keep the youth away from drugs and crime.
Dumisane Nzamo (18), who lives in Arcadia, said this week the sports ground’s gates were locked whenever youngsters wanted to go and practise.
“It is a nightmare to access the facility as it is always locked. If we manage to gain entry, we are chased away by security,” said Nzamo.
“We (the youth) have to resort to smoking nyaope [a street drug] because the only stadium close by is falling apart and there are no other forms of recreation in the city centre,” said Sylvester Nyako.
A local mother, Maria Sekwambane, said she could not put her son’s life in danger by allowing him to use the facility.
“I don’t allow my son to go and practise football because I fear the building might fall on him as they need to use the changing room after a match,” said Sekwambane.
In November 2014, Tshwane approved plans to rejuvenate the football grounds into an inner city park similar to Central Park in New York.
Residents have been against the idea of the state-of-the-art park the metro is planning on the terrain of the historic sports facility with.
“I don’t know why the metro doesn’t just scrap the park idea and rather revamp the sports ground. How will a park harness talent?” asked Sekwambane.
When he visited the sports ground on Monday, DA mayoral candidate for Tshwane Solly Msimanga accused the Tshwane metro of bullying those who used the sports ground.
“The club (Arcadia Shepard’s football club) recently received a letter to vacate the facility and if the metro’s bullying tactics are successful, the club will not have a home or the benefit of using the facility.”
He said legal authorities needed to intervene in the matter.
Msimanga said Caledonian stadium was a heritage site and could not just be demolished when people felt like it.
No comment was received from Tshwane metro at the time of going to press.
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