Frustrated athletes
The Polokwane Municipality says residents' problems with incorrect or late billing will soon be a thing of the past.
POLOKWANE – Teachers, parents and more than 200 athletes from various clusters in and around Polokwane were left stranded at the Seshego Stadium on Friday after the Polokwane Cluster Athletic Meeting did not take place.
This was a result of the departments of education and sport, arts and culture allegedly failing to make the necessary arrangements according to municipal requirements necessary for the cluster athletics gathering to take place at the stadium.
There was allegedly no public liability, first aid or an ambulance in case of an emergency and many other shortcomings according to the municipal requirements, and as a result, municipal officials at the stadium refused to allow the athletics meeting to continue before these requirements were met.
Angry and annoyed parents and teachers said the day was wasted and that the children should have been at school, but instead had to sit and wait for an event that did not happen.
“We thought things would be better than they were last year, but it was worse.
“Last year, there was no equipment, but at least the gates were open.
“This year, the gates were closed and not all the events were on the programme.
“The departments responsible for this event should be ashamed because this is what we call disorganised and unprofessional,” one of the parents explained.
One of the teachers said the time wasted waiting for the gates to be opened could have been used to teach.
“We wasted time.
We should have been at school educating the learners, but we had to wait with the athletes,” the teacher said.
Department of education spokesperson, Phuti Seloba confirmed that the department was at fault and apologised to all participants for the inconvenience that was caused.
“The initial venue for the event was the Peter Mokaba Stadium, but our sports desk had problems securing the venue and we did not have enough resources, like public liability.
“But we are busy correcting the situation,” Seloba said.
He could not confirm when exactly the event would take place, but assured that the department was working on the matter.
