A R22m sports complex in Limpopo that was meant to be a breeding ground for future athletes and sports champions is crumbling to the ground due to lack of maintenance.
The Makhuvha Sports Complex in Thohoyandou was completed in December 2012 and was used to host Premier Soccer League matches and was also Black Leopards’ home ground.
But now it is overgrown with grass, and two swimming pools that were never used are filled with dirty water. The lights on top of the grandstand near the soccer pitch are not working, and the netball combi court has a broken fence.
Soccer coach Mpho Netshituni blamed the Thulamela local municipality for allowing the facility to decay.
The council has blamed vandalism and revealed that it spends nearly R200,000 a month on security.
“I don’t even know if this facility qualifies to be called a stadium in this condition. Our players struggle even for water to drink here. We don’t use the toilets because we don’t have the water to flush them; that is so frustrating,” said Netshituni.
I don’t even know if this facility qualifies to be called a stadium in this condition. Our players struggle even for water to drink here.
— Mpho Netshituni, Soccer coach
“The municipality has failed us and the young people who were hopeful of this sports complex. The lack of maintenance makes everything worse. We had high hopes when they opened this place.”
He said since it was now the rainy season, they were expecting the grass to overgrow on the field and that they would have to cut it themselves.
“We are sad to see the stadium in this condition,” he said.
“We were promised big things when it opened and we were hopeful. They are even failing to irrigate the pitch. The biggest issue is water. The whole neighborhood has a water challenge. Also the lights issue — f they can be fixed, we can even play soccer games during the evening.”
Makhuvha Stadium is one of the municipality’s key facilities, comprising a soccer pitch and swimming pools. Currently, the swimming pools are not functioning, while the soccer pitch remains operational, with various sporting activities taking place on a daily basis.
Municipal spokesperson Nndwamato Tshiila said vandalism was a major challenge.
“In 2023, the electricity transformer at the stadium was stolen, resulting in a complete loss of electricity supply within the facility. Without electricity, the water pumps for the swimming pools and the irrigation system for the soccer pitch could not operate, negatively affecting the overall functionality of the stadium. The electricity transformer has since been reinstalled,” said Tshiila.
“The process of repairing and maintaining the stadium is ongoing. This includes the refurbishment of community toilets and maintenance of the swimming pools, with a budget allocation of R50,000. The stadium relies on two boreholes; however, currently only one is producing water, while the other has run dry.
“Security services have been strengthened to prevent further vandalism. The cost of security services at Makhuvha Stadium is R198,991.49 per month, covering a total of eight security officers, with four deployed during the day and four during the night.”
Nditsheni Ramabulana, 17, a player for FC Basel, which is in the SA Football Association Vhembe Regional League, says he has dreams of one day playing in the professional soccer leagues or even for Bafana Bafana but the conditions on the field they use are discouraging.
“Venda is very hot most of the year, and playing soccer without enough water is not a good thing. Many players have been discouraged and even quit football as a result. The soccer pitch is so bad that you can’t separate between the running track and the actual field. We need intervention,” said Ramabulana.
Venda is very hot most of the year, and playing soccer without enough water is not a good thing. Many players have been discouraged and even quit football as a result.
— Nditsheni Ramabulana
Another player, Gundo Mutshinya, said, “Sometimes it starts raining during a match, and the whole pitch gets muddy. The municipality can at least get artificial [grass for the] pitch for us; that can help because they are failing to maintain this stadium. It’s been like this for many years.
“We don’t use toilets at all. We p** around the soccer pitch.”
When Sowetan visited the area, netball coach Livhuwani Matidze was busy training young girls who will represent the Thulamela region in the Netball Championships that started on Sunday.
He said the municipality’s negligence and lack of will to take sports seriously were the reasons that the stadium was in such a bad state.
“Our players don’t enjoy playing here. It’s painful because there is nothing we can do about it, we just accept what we have,” said soccer coach Rofhiwa Nenzhelele.
Sowetan
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