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A sports field.
Four schools in Kariega in the Eastern Cape have been left stranded following the vandalism of Jubilee Park Stadium.
These schools were using the stadium for their sports practices, as they do not have sports fields.
For about three years, the schools have witnessed the stadium slowly being vandalised.
They are forced to pay to have their matches at neighbouring stadiums, which is costing them thousands of rands.
School sports coordinators, Balgobin and Wylie Human say schools are also faced with a challenge of practising in a crowded space.
“We normally use this stadium for rugby matches. But now it’s going to cost us a small fortune. We don’t have proper facilities. So, it’s going cost us lots of money transporting our teams to other schools.”
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality says the stadium has been subjected to vandalism over the years.
Municipal spokesperson Sthembiso Soyaya says they are conducting meetings with the Department of Sports and Recreation to apply for grant funding to refurbish the facility.
“Vandalism remains a major challenge across the metro and places a deeper strain on limited resources. Despite these constraints, the municipality is actively applying for grant funding to support repairs and rehabilitation of affected facilities. In the interim, we are engaging with the Departments of Education and Sports to identify alternative venues so that learners are not disadvantaged.”
