Odi Stadium in Mabopane is a shadow of its former self and a haven for criminals. File picture: Oupa Mokoena Independent Newspapers
Residents of Mabopane have for years been expressing their concerns about the state of Odi Stadium.
Now they will have a chance to make proposals regarding the future of the dilapidated facility.
A meeting has been scheduled for February 25 from 6pm at Mabopane Indoor Centre to discuss the state and fate of the stadium. A follow-up meeting will be held virtually two days later.
The meetings follow a City of Tshwane council sitting in November last year which approved a public participation process to obtain input from residents and relevant stakeholders on how to maximise the potential of the stadium.
At the time, corporate and shared services MMC Kingsley Wakelin said the metro was committed to seeing the dilapidated stadium become a financially viable and community asset that could promote local sports.
“The vision for the site as a multipurpose sport facility is to drive local economic growth and to ensure that we cannot end up with another white elephant project as we saw after the Fifa World Cup in 2010,” he said.
Numerous plans have been made over the years to turn the stadium into a world-class sports venue.
Wakelin said attempts to get the Premier Soccer League and CAF to host games at Odi have come to nothing due to its poor state.
The multipurpose stadium has many facilities, including a soccer field, two changing rooms, athletics track for field events, four sets of male and female restrooms, four kiosks, control room, four ticket offices, and a VIP lounge with seating.
Odi Stadium was used for football matches and music festivals, but was closed due to non-compliance with safety and construction rules.
Mabopane resident Pule Lekganyane said the stadium was now a haven for criminals.
“As a community we believe that the abandoned venue should be restored and used to develop potential soccer stars in our community” he said.
Another resident, Thabang Molefe, said it was a shame to see the state of this stadium because it used to host big games involving the likes of Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns.
“This stadium was built to develop sports in our community, but now it hurts to see it becoming a nest for criminals” he said.
Pretoria News
Lesego Montso
lesego.montso@inl.co.za