VEREENIGING. – Ulusha, which houses the Renowned Elite Sports Centre (RESA), has had a positive impact on the community.

The centre is based at the President Park Stadium in Vereeniging which is said to have been a hot spot for crime before it was leased by the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) to Ulusha.

Centre Manager Mmone Sebotsa says, “As Ulusha, we are here as agents of change. Our focus is not only on sports, but we are working towards becoming an arts and culture facility as well. We have created a safe environment for the surrounding community and we also promote healthy living among residents, apart from the soccer academy that we run.”

Ulusha is currently renovating President Park while also incorporating various sporting codes, even a wedding venue.” Sebotsa said that it was important for the community to know that the reason why there is a cost to using the facility was because the centre must be maintained to uphold a high standard.

“We charge competitive tariffs for people toutilise the stadium because we are doing the maintenance of the place ourselves and we have to pay the service providers.”

Sebotsa did however mention that the community is currently using the facility for free to have their meetings and that single members of the community would jog for free.

“We are reviving a sporting culture in Vereeniging and we only want to impact this community positively. Our door is always open to members of the community who may have concerns. There is still a lot to come from Ulusha and we will always be ready to tell all of you about it.” Sebotsa concludes.

Vereeniging police spokesperson Captain Fikile Funda has since confirmed that the centre had contributed in decreasing crime around President Park.