Legislature’s Select Committee wants to the Leandra stadium matter finalised

The Mpumalanga Legislature’s select committee on public participation, petitions and members’ legislative proposals has intensified efforts to resolve the long-standing issues surrounding the Leandra Stadium project during their visit to the facility on February 20.

The committee convened a meeting with all affected stakeholders to receive a progress report from the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation (DCSR), as agreed in 2025.

The engagement follows a petition lodged by community member Abednego Lukhele regarding discrepancies observed in the Leandra Sports Ground project.

Chairperson of the committee, Siphosezwe Mahlangu, led the meeting, which was also attended by committee members, including Sam Masango, who also serves as deputy speaker, and Eva Mkhabane, the chief whip at the Legislature.

The meeting was also attended by the Executive Mayor of Govan Mbeki Municipality, Nhlakanipho Zuma, accompanied by members of the mayoral committee.

Zuma indicated that his municipality does not have sufficient money to conduct the proposed forensic investigation into the stadium project, as recommended during a previous oversight meeting.

He requested that the provincial government take responsibility for funding the forensic process. Mahlangu informed stakeholders that the matter had been referred to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) to address the financial aspects of the project.

Mxolisi Mahlangu, the head of department for DCSR, presented a report to indicate that it would be a joint submission between the department and the municipality. However, the committee expressed dissatisfaction after discovering that the DCSR and the municipality presented two separate reports that were not aligned and contained several discrepancies.

Zuma also voiced concern over what he described as “two contradicting reports,” emphasising the need for a consolidated and coherent presentation.

Community members from Leandra told the committee that the area has been without a functional sports ground for nearly six to seven years. They raised concerns that the absence of recreational facilities has left young people vulnerable to crime and social ills.

Residents further complained that they continue to be excluded from activities and developments taking place at the stadium, despite earlier recommendations from the Committee that stakeholders such as the Leandra Sports Council be involved.

During deliberations, the select committee raised several critical questions, many of which had been asked in previous meetings but remained unanswered.

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These included:
• Whether the currently appointed service provider is new or if it is the previous contractor.
• Whether new specifications were issued for remedial work.
• Whether the DCSR and municipality prepared the report jointly.
• Why were new and contradictory reports presented?
• The status of officials implicated in earlier findings, including those who have since resigned.
• Government’s understanding of stakeholder engagement processes.
• Reasons for continued exclusion of stakeholders in the second phase of the project.
• Why directives from the MEC regarding corrective measures were not implemented.

The committee indicated that the responses provided were unsatisfactory. Following the meeting, the committee conducted an in-loco inspection of the stadium site.

Members observed that some remedial work had been undertaken, but additional work remains before the facility can be fully accessible and use by the community.

The committee resolved that an urgent follow-up meeting must be convened within seven days, with all relevant stakeholders present, to work toward a final resolution.

Chairperson Mahlangu concluded that the Select Committee will not close the matter until it reaches its logical conclusion and the community of Leandra receives the sports facility it has long awaited.

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