The grounds of the old Hezekiel Mothibe Pitje Stadium, former home of Premier soccer club Mamelodi Sundowns, are in a mess.
The former home of the Mamelodi Sundowns soccer club, the Hezekiel Mothibe Pitje Stadium is now a shadow of its former self.
The stadium grounds had fallen into ruin before it was eventually demolished in 2023. Now the area around the property has become an illegal dump site, with plastic and waste everywhere.
Residents are demanding that the City of Tshwane do more to enforce its by-laws to curb illegal dumping.
GroundUp saw several people dump rubbish near the concrete fence. Some residents told GroundUp that they saw bakkies offload piles of rubble. There is afoul smell around the site.
Residents said when they confront people dumping rubbish they are met with aggression. “I once asked a man not to dump rubbish in front of my house and he shouted at me to leave him alone,” said resident Gloria Mawela.
“I’m also scared to report them to the municipality. What if they find out and attack me and my family?” she asked.
A spaza shop owner, who asked not to be named, said customers complain about the bad smell. “Some people relieve themselves there and the smell is very bad … We often burn the refuse but that doesn’t help.”
Another resident, Vusi Sibeko, claimed that the municipality had promised the community in November 2023 that another stadium would be built on the land. “There is no stadium in the whole of Mamelodi,” said Sibeko.
Municipal spokesperson Lindela Mashigo told GroundUp that the City has decided to transform the site into a commercial “hub for sports, business and recreation” but he did not give further details.
On the illegal dumping, Mashigo said the City would respond. The City’s draft Waste Management by-law states that “no person may drop, deposit, spill or in any other way dispose of any waste material in or on any public place”.
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