The Lesseyton White Elephant: A R20-Million Sports Facility Fallen into Disuse

In the Eastern Cape of South Africa, the community of Lesseyton near Komani stands adjacent to a testament of unfulfilled promises and municipal malfeasance–the Lesseyton Sport Facility. Opened with aspirations of bolstering local sport and community cohesion, echoed in its R20-million budget, the facility now languishes in a state of abandonment marked by overgrown flora and decrepit structures. Ironically, its lone moment of perceived utility was an ANC function rather than any athletic endeavour it was designed for.

Laid out to be a beacon of sports development, the facility's blueprint boasted a fully grassed football and rugby pitch accompanied by floodlights for nocturnal events, a cinder running track, a contemporary rubberised netball court, and necessary conveniences such as ablution facilities and change rooms. Also envisioned were infrastructure support systems like a paved parking area replete with a guard house and a secure brick boundary wall, complemented by water provision through borehole drilling and reticulation.

Yet, the image painted contrasts sharply with the dilapidated and underutilised state it is in today. During a recent visit to the site, located in Ndlovukazi, prevention of access and visual assessment yielded a glimpse of the degraded field, seemingly untouched post-inauguration, excluding the aforementioned ANC gathering. Where there should be amenities and vibrant community life, barrenness and a sense of desolation prevail.

The enterprise, which commenced in 2018 under Thalami Construction following their successful tender with the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, quickly became mired in controversy. Upon its official opening in late 2021, public and online outcries took aim at its egregious cost and perceived subpar quality. Thanduxolo Govu, a local resident, encapsulates the sentiment, equating the facility to a white elephant tailored exclusively for the leisure of ANC members rather than serving its intended public purpose.

Amidst the inadequate facility's existence lies an exchange of discourses between municipal officers and local sports figures. On a benign note, municipal spokesperson Lonwabo Kowa suggests that the utilisation of the sports complex lies within the volition of the community, although this notion contrasts residents' experiences of the area as inaccessible. Contrariwise, Ward Councillor Ntomboxolo Solani acknowledges grievances by soccer enthusiasts about the terrain's precariousness. Yet, there seems to be an optimistic note with an anticipated level playing field, purportedly timed with the Easter weekend sports events.

Corroborating the disenfranchisement of the local sports community, Mabuti Mapeyi of the Chris Hani Sport Council confirms the absence of soccer activities here. Coach Ringo Klaas of Phoenix Birds soccer club affirms their continuing practice in Komani, not the Lesseyton grounds.

The financial dissection of this project only amplifies the disconcertion. A report by the Eastern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs paints a financial timeline with payments of significant sums to both Sky High Consulting Engineers and Thalami Civils. Additionally, the chronicle of misdeeds includes the premature initiation of construction contrary to environmental regulatory compliance, resulting in a paused and reinitiated second contract after the squandering of millions.

Now, as the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation examines the web of this sports facility's circumstance, with the investigation reported to be in an advanced stage, the community of Lesseyton waits, hoping for restitution or, at the very least, a rectification that salvages the space from its current white elephant status.