Bakerton Stadium, which was rebuilt at a cost of millions of rand and officially handed over to the community, has reportedly remained largely unused and without proper maintenance, according to ward councillor Dean Stone.

The stadium was rebuilt after being left in a ruinous and unusable condition following repeated vandalism and theft.

Contractors were appointed in March 2020, with the project reportedly hampered by government lockdowns and frequent changes of contractors.

In the last article on the stadium by the Springs Advertiser in September 2021, ‘Bakerton Stadium to open by the end of the year’, the rebuilding had been completed, with new locker rooms and grandstands installed, and the facility was expected to open to the public in October that year.

Stone said the stadium was officially opened in the presence of the former MMC for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Clr Nomadlozi Nkosi in 2021 and ward representatives.

However, he said the facility has never had a functioning booking system, preventing residents and community organisations from using it.

“The stadium could not be booked by anybody in the community. Subsequently, it was left in a state; it was never maintained. The grass was never cut and it was a complete disaster,” said Stone.

The councillor said the lack of access to the facility has also affected local schools and sports organisations that could have benefited from the stadium.

Stone said he attempted to find an alternative solution by taking members of the Bakerton community to the MMC’s office after residents offered to maintain the facility themselves.

“They wanted to maintain the stadium themselves. We had a meeting with her, but nothing transpired from that. They didn’t give them any permission to do so,” he said.

According to Stone, security is currently provided at the facility, meaning vandalism has not been a major concern. However, he said this has not addressed the bigger problem of the community being unable to use the stadium.

Stone also raised concerns about the deterioration of the sporting infrastructure. He said the basketball and netball courts, cricket nets and other facilities have fallen into disrepair, with grass reportedly growing through some of the surfaces.

“The basketball courts, netball courts, and the cricket nets – all of that are now in ruins because grass is actually growing through the grounds,” he said.

He questioned the quality of the original construction and whether the stadium had undergone a proper final inspection before it was handed over.

“I would also like to know who signed off on the stadium and said we can hand it over. A final inspection would have revealed that there is no booking facility available,” said Stone.

The facility also includes squash courts, which Stone said residents would like to use but cannot access because there is still no booking system.

He expressed that he has repeatedly raised the issue with the city, including through meetings with the MMC and questions in council and the Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture portfolio committee.

“I have had numerous meetings with the MMC and have asked numerous questions in council and in the SRAC portfolio as to what the plans are, when this will finally be maintained and when the community will be able to use the stadium, and to no avail,” he said.

Stone said he has not received clear answers from the department about when maintenance will begin or when the booking system will become operational.

He described the situation as a waste of public money, given the significant investment made in the facility.

“To me, this was a wasteful expenditure. For a community, two or three years later, they cannot even use the stadium. No plans are being made. It is unacceptable, said Stone.

Stone also said he would continue to engage with the city to have the facility maintained and made available to the community.

“We will keep on pushing from our side to get this resolved and to get the stadium maintained. But the booking facility needs to open so that people can actually use the stadium.”

An enquiry was sent to the city, but no response had been received at the time of publication.