LETTER: Neglect of sporting facility

I am the chairperson of Helderberg Cricket Club and a former member of the Municipal Facility Management Committee (MFMC).

I wish to express my displeasure regarding the current state and maintenance of our sports ground, Helderzicht Sports Ground, by the City of Cape Town.

Our sports clubs, including Helderberg CC, All Saints RFC, Helderberg Lions Soccer Club, and the surrounding schools such as Gordon High School and Danie Ackermann and Somerset Methodist primary schools, form the MFMC.

Over the past two to three years, the City has neither fixed nor replaced anything on the grounds. The toilets in our facilities have been unusable for more than four years due to a lack of maintenance by the City.

The City has done nothing and has not spent a cent on renovations. The cricket club members have funded all improvements out of our own pockets. We built our own cricket nets years ago.

The geyser has not been working for a very long time. The roof of the clubhouse has been leaking for ages, and with the storm last year and recently, the damages have only worsened.

The fence opposite the high school has been damaged for the last year and a half, and no repairs have been done.

Every cricket season, we face water leakages on the playing grounds. The employees of the City just don’t care. When I phoned Mr Booysen, he replied that he was on holiday. I then phoned Mr Khan, who sent out a team to address the problems, but their efforts were in vain.

The MFMC, in conjunction with Helderberg CC, has requested numerous times to set up a meeting with ward councillor Carl Punt, but all efforts have been in vain. Juan van Boom, president of Helderberg CC, requested a meeting on 25 July this year via the councillor’s PA.

Her reply was, “Hi Juan, dit is geen problem, sal datums aanstuur dan kan julle net laat weet waar en die tyd en hoe gou wil julle dit laat geskied.” We replied that Wednesday (31 July) would suit us, but we have yet to receive a reply from their office.

Every financial year, money is allocated to different sports grounds, but for the past few years, nothing has been replaced or fixed by the City.

My personal feeling is that the MFMC was established so that the City can shift the responsibility. Additionally, I believe that race still plays a role in this democratic country, and I have proof of this.

So my questions to the City and Punt are the following:

1. What happened to Helderzicht Sports Ground’s allocated budget?

2. Why has nothing been done on our sports ground?

SM Fredericks,

Patricia van der Ross, Mayoral Committee member for Community Services and Health, responds: The Helderzicht Sports Ground has had challenges with vandalism, particularly on plumbing fittings of the toilets and irrigation systems. The main valve of the irrigation systems were addressed and repaired by the City’s water and sanitation department. The condition of the facility and the availability of fields for play are regularly communicated with all users of this facility. The facility is cleaned weekly in accordance with the City’s standard maintenance schedule, which includes grass mowing, weed control and lining of the fields. The City’s recreation and parks department spent R623 100 on its operational budget during the 2023-’24 financial year to address ongoing maintenance and repairs.The recreation and parks department has received approval for the upgrade of the clubhouse which was identified by the MFMC as their main priority and works are earmarked for the current financial year (2024-’25). The roof will be included as part of the scope of work for this project. Additionally, fencing repairs to the facility will be initiated within this month.We acknowledge the significance of community facilities and are committed to addressing these challenges promptly. The department will continue to engage facility users regarding progress on maintenance at the facility.