Bophelong community fuming over a tent inside the stadium
"It is clear that whoever put this tent inside the venue is a friend of some of the politicians."
BOPHELONG.- The local community is fuming over the marquee tent inside the Bophelong Stadium.
Sedibeng Ster has learned that this tent belongs to one of the families known to this newspaper and is meant for a wedding this Saturday, December 6.
The Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM)closed the stadium in April 2023 for renovations. The venue is still under construction and no sporting activities are allowed to take place there but no one knows who allowed this tent to be put inside the field. Even the municipality was not aware until they received a call yesterday from community members.
“Emfuleni don’t take sports seriously. How can they allow someone to put a tent inside the field? We demand answers from the municipality to tell us who allowed this to happen. It is clear that whoever put this tent inside the venue is a friend of some of the politicians. Their security doesn’t allow us into the venue but they have allowed somebody to put a tent inside. We are going to take this matter further,” said the angry community members.
Star Hlongwane who is a senior employee at ELM’s Sports, Arts, Culture, and Recreation Department had to rush to the venue after he was informed about the situation. Sedibeng Ster is in possession of the message that Hlongwane wrote to his colleagues in the department.
The message reads: “I am made aware by one to two calls from community members of Bophelong notifying me of two marquee tents erected at the Bophelong Stadium for a wedding celebration on December 6. Those who called me claim that we (the department) have closed the stadium since April 2023 and to date the facility is still not accessible to the Bophelong sporting fraternity or community.”
Sedibeng Ster Sports received calls from angry Bophelong sports people who believe the municipality undermines sports.
The community took their frustration to social media. One Facebook user who happens to come from Bophelong asked: “Stadium sebutswi nag? Ke bona ho zwinka di tentente hurreeee ka soccer field.”
Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, the ELM MMC for Sports, Arts, Culture, and Recreation, Sehlare Mahlasela, said they were not aware of the matter until he received the message from Hlongwane.
He told Sedibeng Ster that they would have a meeting with Hlongwane and take it from there.
Sedibeng Ster will follow up on this matter.
