Sport has always been a powerful tool for community engagement and nation-building, and the newly built multimillion-rand state-of-the-art sporting facility will be a venue to provide personal growth, discipline, and empowerment.
This was stated by the MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC), Sibulele Ngongo, at the official opening of the facility at Gatyana on Wednesday, November 6. She said her department recognised the transformative power of sport in building healthier and more cohesive societies. “This facility at the heart of Gatyana symbolises our activities and commitment. It is here to serve not only as a venue for sporting activities but also as a communal space where young people can come together to build lifelong skills and friendships,” she said.
Ngongo said that the government, in all three spheres, wants to see development for local people. She said the government had long been aware that the community had called for a safe and accessible space for young people to engage in sport, and the call had been honoured.
The facility will also work as a catalyst to curb drug use and dependency among the youth and young adults. Instead, she said, they will be able to focus on other means to live better lives, including education – which is offered free by the government. “Let us speak to our hearts and effectively use this stadium while protecting it. Providing the infrastructure alone can never be enough. The success of this facility will depend on our collective effort in maintaining and safeguarding it,” the MEC said.
She said the municipality and the community in the Mbhashe municipal area needed to take ownership of the stadium. They needed to ensure it remained in good condition for generations to come. “My department is here to support, and we have a district office that is very vibrant and well-equipped to assist. We urge schools, sports clubs, and community leaders to actively engage with these programmes and make use of this new facility. Let us celebrate today as a victory for the community, our youth, and the entire Eastern Cape province. May this sports facility inspire new champions, foster community pride, and act as a beacon of hope for all who walk through its doors. Let us work together to ensure this facility becomes a vibrant centre of sports excellence, health, and unity,” she said to applause.
The facility, costing R53 million, was built using the municipal infrastructure grant with core funding from Mbhashe Local Municipality. Among the amenities in the stadium, it boasts combi courts for netball and basketball, rugby and soccer pitches, and a rubber athletics track. It has a grandstand, ticket office, guardhouse, floodlights, and an irrigation system. Mbhashe Sports Council chairperson Nkosana Mdabuka said parents must come out in numbers to support their children as they play various sports at the stadium.
Mbhashe Local Municipality executive mayor, Samkelo Janda, said the local authority had vowed to include sport in its developmental programme. He reiterated that sport kept young people away from mischief. He said playing sport consistently at schools was raised during the IDP roadshows. “But you can’t support sport without the necessary infrastructure. With this kind of facility, we want to achieve sports tourism. How do we use this facility to attract tourism? Hosting big tournaments here could benefit accommodation, transport industries, as well as shops to grow our economy,” he said.
Janda said small, medium, and micro enterprises and cooperatives must form part of developments in the facility so they can come up with business initiatives. One of the objectives of constructing the facility, Janda said, was to unearth talent, and that will be achieved.
