Residents of Mabopane remain uncertain about the future of Odi Stadium as the Tshwane metro advances plans to lease and redevelop the facility for up to 80 years.

Once an iconic venue that hosted major sporting events and drew crowds from across the region, the stadium has fallen into disrepair. Many hope the long-awaited redevelopment will restore the landmark.

Currently, residents are using a portion of the stadium to exercise.

The facility was built by the Bophuthatswana government under Kgosi Lucas Manyane Mangope’s administration in the late 1980s to promote sport in the former homeland. It was home to Ga-Rankuwa United and staged electrifying matches, involving Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows, Mamelodi Sundowns and Wits University, as well as ANC and ZCC gatherings.

Before neglect and vandalism set in, the multi-purpose stadium included a football pitch, athletics track, two changing rooms, four male and four female toilets, four kiosks, a VIP lounge, a control room and four ticket offices.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the metro has begun the process of securing a private partner to rehabilitate the stadium through a long-term lease. “The advert for the development and long-term lease of Odi Stadium was released on October 31, 2025, and closed on January 20,” he said.

Mashigo explained the process is ongoing and subject to the metro’s supply chain management procedures. “The tender is subject to Supply Chain Management processes, wherein the Bid Evaluation Committee is due to evaluate bid proposals that may have been received, if any.”

For many residents the delay has been frustrating as the once-bustling stadium continues to deteriorate.

Molebogeng Molepo of Block BB said the venue used to play an important role in the community. “Growing up, we used to go to the stadium for football matches and events. It brought people together. Now it’s just standing there and getting worse every year,” she said.

Lerato Ndlovu said redevelopment could bring much-needed opportunities. “Schools around here could host athletics competitions in the stadium and that would boost the local economy. There are football clubs in Mabopane that don’t have training facilities. This stadium could do a lot for the community – keep children off the streets and create job opportunities for the township’s youth,” she said.

Mashigo said details about potential bidders or proposals cannot be disclosed while the process is under evaluation. He confirmed no preferred bidder has been identified.

According to Mashigo, public participation meetings held in 2024 showed strong community support for reviving the stadium.

“The majority of community members in attendance supported the proposal of leasing the property where the stadium is situated for the purpose of its rehabilitation, among other things.”

Meanwhile, the metro has put measures in place to prevent further vandalism and criminal activity. “There is currently security deployed at the stadium. The metro has allowed the use of certain parts of the stadium, except for areas that have been deemed unsafe, even though the facility is not officially in use.”

Mashigo said no recent structural assessment of the stadium has been conducted, and therefore, the metro does not yet have cost estimates. “This assessment has not been conducted in recent times; as such, we do not have those estimated costs at this moment,” he said.

He confirmed the metro still intends to lease the facility for up to 80 years and added that infrastructure projects undertaken by the metro normally include provisions intended to benefit surrounding communities.

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