Officials and players from the African Bombers rugby club in Zwide Township have embarked on a clean-up operation of the historic Dan Qeqe Stadium in Zwide, in Gqeberha.
The stadium is in a state of disrepair due to a lack of maintenance by the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
It was also targeted by vandals during the lockdown.
The African Bombers now want to return to the stadium and play their home games there.
This historic club, which started in the 50s, was also the first club the Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi, joined.
The club’s assistant coach, Andile Skwabba Makomfane, says their attempts to have the stadium refurbished fell on deaf ears.
“We cannot fold our hands and do nothing to improve the situation. It’s bad, very bad. We have been trying … [to ask] the municipality to come on board. We want to go back here and play our rugby at the same venue hence we are cleaning up,” says Makomfane.
The stadium also hosted cricket games with Australia and the West Indies playing games at the venue.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality acknowledges that it has failed to do its part to keep the stadium in good shape.
Nelson Mandela Bay MMC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Bassie Kamana says, “We have not done enough, but we re fighting for the budget to be set aside to refurbished the facilities. There is a plan in place but it’s very complicated at the moment. It’s part of our history, so something must be done, we don’t want our kids to use it to sell or use drugs.”
