Residents of Bungeni outside Elim say they are losing hope that the long-delayed upgrade of Bungeni Stadium will be completed soon, with the Collins Chabane Local Municipality having spent about R65 million of the R70-million project so far. The municipality had promised to hand over the facility before 30 June, but this deadline came and went, with officials now blaming a shortage of specially designed roof sheets for the hold-up.
The stadium, once a dusty sports ground with a small ablution block, has been transformed into a modern facility featuring a 5,000-seat grandstand, four tennis courts, new ablution blocks and changing rooms. In the meantime, local football teams continue to play on two dusty fields while they wait for it to open.
Residents say they hope the stadium will also create opportunities for small businesses during matches and community events, with vendors able to earn an income selling food and other goods. They believe sport at the facility would help keep children and young people off the streets, and that in an area with high unemployment, the stadium could become an important community asset beyond football.
“Our players are forced to play on dusty grounds, and they struggle when they have to compete on professionally maintained fields. We would be happy to see the stadium completed because the project started in 2023,” said Morris Shirinda, owner of Bungeni Young Tigers FC, which competes in the SAFA Vhembe Men's Regional League.
Resident Vonani Khorombi said the community had waited long enough for the project to be completed.
“We expected the stadium to be completed by now, but it seems like something has not been done properly. We are still waiting for it to open,” he said.
When the Limpopo Mirror visited the site recently, only a few workers were on site carrying out what appeared to be final touch-ups. Security personnel denied the newspaper access to the facility.
Ward councillor Percy Mashimbyi said the project was in its final stages.
“We were waiting for the roof sheets because they are specially designed and cannot be sourced just anywhere. Everything else has been completed,” he said.
Mashimbyi said the quality of the completed facility reflected the investment made in the project.
Municipal spokesperson Robert Mathye said work began on 22 May 2023 and was planned as a multi-year project spanning three financial years, with an initial completion date of 22 May this year. The municipality appointed PGN Civils (Pty) Ltd to carry out the project. The contractor declined to comment and referred questions to the municipality.
Mathye said the project had always been budgeted for over three financial years and that no contractor had been replaced or terminated during construction. Completed work includes the pavilion, ablution blocks, changing rooms, the soccer field, multi-purpose courts and parking facilities. What remains is the installation of the roof sheets, final finishes and site clean-up before handover.
He added that the municipality had monitored the project through its normal project management oversight processes.