WeeklySA_AdminIMPUNITY: Tens of millions have been spent on a stadium in Elim since 2017. It is still not complete
By Thembi Siaga
A sports stadium in Waterval, near Elim, stands incomplete and unused, eight years after construction began. R40-million has been spent on the project, according to the Makhado Municipality’s annual reports.
The football field and athletics track are yet to be finished and none of the completed facilities are being used.
The current contractor says it aims to complete the work by the end of October. Eight years after construction began on the Waterval Sports Facility near Elim, it is still not complete. The Makhado Municipality has spent about R40-million on the project, according to annual reports.
The project was meant to transform a local field into a stadium capable of hosting tournaments. Construction started in 2017. Changing rooms, a guard house, a 2,000-seater pavilion and tennis courts were built after multiple delays. But the football field and athletics track are still not ready to use and none of the other facilities are being used.
The current contractor, Mvuno Geo-environmental Civil and Construction, is responsible for finishing the field and track. Grass seedlings were planted on the football pitch last year, but weeds started to outgrow the grass. New grass is now being planted, using a sodding method. The athletics track still needs to have its top, all-weather surface laid.
Mvuno’s site manager Vincent Mutsila said they are waiting for imported materials for the track. “We expect to finish by the end of October, depending on when the materials arrive,” he said.
Local footballer Victor Chabalala, of local football team 7 Stars, says the delays are affecting young players. While they wait for the sports facility to be completed, they train on a dusty field.
“Our boots and balls wear out fast, and there’s no security,” said Chabalala. “When we play away on proper fields, it’s a big adjustment. We’d be very happy if the stadium were finally finished.”
On 16 September, the EFF led a march to the municipal offices in Waterval to hand over a memorandum of demands.
Residents called for answers on when the stadium will be completed. The memo warned that the community might take matters into their own hands if nothing was done.
The project has been funded mainly through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), with top-ups from the municipality.
According to the municipality’s annual reports, R7.5-million was spent on the project in 2018/19, R10.9-million in 2019/20, and R16.5-million in 2020/21. The municipality did not receive clean audit opinions in any of these years, so the expenditure figures should be treated with caution.
In 2021, the project stalled. The annual reports provide various reasons for the delays, including the covid pandemic and delays in sourcing materials. The 2023/24 annual report notes that the contractor was charged penalties for missing the deadline and was eventually terminated.
Diges Group, the contractor originally responsible for the running track, football pitch, and a borehole, told the Limpopo Mirror in 2023 that they completed what was practically possible, but could not finish it because other contractors and the municipality first had to complete the electric connection and installation of the pavilion, which was not done in time. The material for the running track expired before it could be used.
Mvuno Geo-environmental Civil and Construction was appointed to finish the project, and another R4-million was allocated in the 2024/25 financial year, which ended on 30 June. No additional money was allocated for the 2025/26 financial year.
In May 2024, then municipal spokesperson Louis Bobodi promised the stadium would be ready by June. On 22 August this year, we asked the new spokesperson, Mpho Rathando, for details on costs, delays, and outstanding work.
Despite repeated follow-ups, the only response so far has been: “The municipality will comment once the project is completed.”- Limpopo Mirror.
MIRROR Briefs
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE WANING
South African consumer confidence fell in the third quarter as middle-income household finances came under strain amid higher personal income taxes and the fading impact of early pension fund withdrawals.
A quarterly index measuring consumer sentiment declined to -13 in the three months through September from -10 in the previous quarter, FirstRand’s First National Bank said in a statement.
In the May budget, the National Treasury did not adjust personal income tax bands for inflation, augmenting revenue via so-called bracket-creep.
“Weak job creation, rising inflation and dwindling two-pot funds have likely started to weigh on the confidence levels of the middle class,” said FNB Chief Economist, Mamello Matikinca-Ngwenya. The two-pot system introduced last year allows savers early access to a portion of their retirement funds without penalties.
Ford, Glencore Plc and ArcelorMittal SA are among the companies that have recently announced plans to cut thousands of jobs in South Africa. Solidarity, a labour union, has said the knock-on effects of the layoffs could affect as many as 250,000 jobs and called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to convene a crisis meeting of all “role players” to prevent further job cuts. Matikinca-Ngwenya warned that waning consumer confidence would likely translate into a more pronounced slowdown in real household expenditure growth toward the final quarter of the year.
INDABA TO BOLSTER COUNCILS
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Velenkosini Hlabisa, will host the Local Government Indaba at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, from October 2-3, 2025. This event will unite over 1 000 delegates from government, traditional leadership, business, academia, civil society and organised labour, all focused on revitalising municipalities and restoring public trust in local governance.
According to the department, three years after the last Local Government Summit in 2022, South Africa’s municipalities continued to face challenges such as financial mismanagement, political instability, poor governance, deteriorating infrastructure and inconsistent service delivery.
“Yet, amidst these trials, there is a growing resolve to turn the tide,” the department said in a statement. In 2025, the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) presented the audit outcomes for the 2023/24 financial year, revealing that :
• 16% of municipalities achieved unqualified audits with no findings (an increase of seven from the previous year); • 39% received unqualified audits with findings (a decrease of 11); • 35% received qualified opinions (a decrease of one); • 2% had adverse findings (stagnant at six); • 5% received disclaimers (a decrease of four) and • 4% had outstanding audits (an increase of nine).
“These figures underscore the urgency of reform but also the opportunity for a local government performance turnaround,” the department said. – SAnews
Fingered cop denies claim.
The Ekurhuleni City Council has rejected a motion to suspend Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) Acting chief Julius Mkhwanazi, after he took voluntary special leave.
Mkhwanazi stands accused of facilitating the illegal transfer of city-owned vehicles—specifically those equipped with blue lights—to Vusimuzi ‘’ Cat’’ Matlala, a private businessman currently detained on serious criminal charges. Matlala’s alleged offences included attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and fraud.
The vehicles in question included a BMW X5, a Mercedes-Benz C-Class, a BMW 3-Series and a VW Golf, all registered under Matlala’s private security company instead of the municipality. Both the council and Mkhwanazi have denied the allegations. The motion was tabled by the Chairperson for the Independent Ratepayers’ Association of South Africa, Izak Berg. 0Ekurhuleni City Council met last week to decide whether Mkhwanazi should be suspended. Local Community Safety MMC, Sizakele Masuku told the council sitting to discuss a motion to place Mkhwanazi on precautionary suspension, that he had been placed on special leave to allow the investigations into these allegations to take place without any hindrance. The allegations implicating Mkhwanazi came to light during the testimony of KZN Police Commissioner Lt-Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. He claimed that Mkhwanazi assisted Matlala in registering private vehicles under the municipality and illegally fitting them with blue lights — typically reserved for emergency and law enforcement vehicles.
FORMER PRESIDENT JAILED
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy ( 70) has been sentenced to five years in jail for criminal conspiracy over attempts to raise campaign funds from Libya and would soon become the first former president of France to serve time in prison. The sentence was harsher than many expected and Sarkozy, who was president between 2007-2012, would spend time in jail even if he appeals the ruling — which he said he would do.
As he exited the courtroom, Sarkozy, visibly moved, expressed his anger at what he said was a “scandalous” ruling. “What happened today… is of extreme gravity in regard to the rule of law, and for the trust one can have in the justice system,” he told reporters. “If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high,” he said, adding that he was innocent. “I will not apologise for something I didn’t do.”
Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy over efforts by close aides to procure funds for his 2007 presidential bid from Libya during the rule of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He was acquitted by the Paris court of all other charges, including corruption and receiving illegal campaign financing. – Fullview.
