Sports facility in Manufacta crumbling amid theft and neglect
A once thriving sports facility has been left crumbling with infrastructure decaying and being stolen.
The Voortrekker Park home of Mavericks Sports Club, once a thriving sports hub, has fallen into disrepair and become a neglected haven for vagrants, with its infrastructure being looted.
The facility, which once hosted everything from netball, tennis, cricket, soccer and other community sports events, now stands as a stark reminder of the consequences of neglect and the struggles facing many communities.
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The fields where children once played are now overgrown with grass and black-jacks, while broken fences barely stand, vulnerable to theft. The clubhouses are stripped of their windows, doors and taps, with theft occurring daily.
The surroundings are also overwhelmed with filth due to illegal dumping, and a constant water leak that turns the fields into a wetland adds to the facility’s woes.
Resident Zee Bruinders has lived in the area for over 10 years and expressed his disappointment.
“It’s heartbreaking to see this facility go to waste,” he said.
“When I moved into this place in 2015, this was a beautiful sports facility, and I was excited that my child would be involved in many sporting activities. However, this has vanished as years go by.
“We have tried our best to look after this area through daily patrols, but the neglect continues, and the criminal activities happening here are alarming,” he said, adding that the criminals use the overgrown grass to hide.
Emily Bezuidenhout, who is also a very active resident, said despite repeated efforts to engage the Department of Sports and Recreation and their local ward councillor, no action has been taken to rescue the crumbling facility.
“Security is also a problem leading to an increase in unauthorised use, and the constant water leak dates back to 2019,” she said.
The Roodepoort Record has sent questions to the Department of Sports and Recreation; however, no comment was forthcoming by the time of going to print.
