Former Ehlanzeni district municipality manager, Thoko Mashiane, must come clean and explain what happened to the missing millions of rands that were budgeted to build Schoemansdal Stadium in Nkomazi Local Municipality.
In 2003, while Mashiane was manager of Ehlanzeni District, the municipality budgeted and started building the Schoemansdal Stadium with the aim of getting young people off the streets of the deep rural area.
Phase 1 of the project was to use a grader to clear the identified field and build change rooms and toilets. A company called Ncephezane Trading was appointed and allegedly paid R1,3 million for Phase 1. After the completion of Phase 1 the project was abandoned, and 20 years later, the toilets and change rooms have been vandalized and neglected. Mashiane must explain what happened with the project?.
It had been rumored that R45 million was budgeted and allocated for the whole project, but only the R1,3 million for Phase 1 can be accounted for. What happened to the outstanding R43,7 million? We challenge Mashiane and the ANC-led Ehlanzeni District Municipality to please explain to the Nkomazi residents.
Mashiane who was a high-ranking member of the ANC in 2003, has since joined Herman Mashaba’s Action SA in August 2022. She was immediately appointed Action SA Mpumalanga Chairperson after she diverted from the ANC.
On a recent oversight inspection to the project, the DA uncovered that the stadium site which is in close vicinity to a netball court and a community hall, has now become a crime hot spot and a haven for Nyaope and marijuana (drug) users.
Having commenced 20 years ago, the DA finds it completely unacceptable that the project was never followed through to completion. It has also incurred huge amounts of wasteful expenditure and will cost taxpayers more money to rectify the damage that has been caused thus far.
Being cognisant of the above, the DA also calls on the MEC of CoGTA, Mandla Msibi, to conduct his own investigation into this project, and if there were any criminal elements present in the construction of the stadium, he needs to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.