After Bakerton Stadium received some much needed renovations in April, vandals has seen fit to destroy all the metro’s hard work.
Councillor Ramesh Sheodin of ward 72 about R240 000 was spent on refurbishing the stadium.
The fence was stolen after the renovations, giving vandals and looters easy access to the stadium’s buildings and benches.
On a visit to the stadium on Friday, the Advertiser saw that the seating of the stands had been stolen for scrap metal.
All the netting and fencing of both the cricket nets and tennis courts were stolen.
The glass doors of the squash courts were also vandalised. HOW?
At this stage, the change rooms of the stadium remain untouched.
According to Ahmed Chouglay, chairman of the Bakerton Sports Centre, and Kamran Siddique, Bakerton CPF chairman, they were patrolling the area one night, when they caught two men red-handed stealing the metal seating of the stands.
“We suspect they sell it for scrap,” says Chouglay.
“After the renovation, the stadium looked beautiful, when I came to see what had been stolen, my heart was sore; I did not expect it to be like this,” says Sheodin.
This is a step back in the progress of their local football side as well.
Chouglay says the team is now forced to play their night games at Springs Old Boys Club, which impacts all their costs.
Choughlay and Siddique believe that if the stadium had been properly fenced before the renovations had started, the vandalism and theft might have been avoided.
They have requested that the council build a wall around the stadium and put up flood lights to deter intruders, before they renovate the stadium again.
Ramesh has also filed an application to the council to resolve this matter.
