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The Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation’s (SACR) failure to complete the R26million Mabaleng Sports complex continues to deprive the community of Westbury access to a proper sporting facility to nurture grassroots development.

The R25 975 885 facility was meant to be handed over to the City of Joburg by the department in February 2019, but to date, it has not been handed over due to structural issues that need to be fixed.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) conducted an oversight inspection at the Mabaleng Sports Complex and discovered that it was built with cement bricks around the pitches which poses a serious risk to athletes.

Furthermore, the drainage system needs to be fixed as rain causes the pitches to become waterlogged and the ablution blocks have been vandalized.

There are several unfinished and neglected sporting and recreational projects across the province.
Monies are being wasted on these unfinished projects by the department which creates financial strain and prevents it from achieving other deliverables.

The DA insists that the Gauteng MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation’s (SACR), Mbali Hlophe takes full responsibility and ownership of all the department’s infrastructure projects from the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development which constantly fails to complete projects within budget and according to the stipulated timelines.

We will also write to MEC Hlophe to ascertain when the infrastructural defects will be fixed at the Mabaleng Sports complex.

Issued by Kingsol Chabalala MPL - DA Shadow MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR)