GAME ON

MANENBERG laaities will be getting upgraded sports facilities by the end of next month, according to the City of Cape Town.

Seven years in the making Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis this week unveiled the work done at The Greens Sports Ground via social media, with the City confirming the upgrades to the facility would total R13.2million. 

In 2018, the City’s Recreation and Parks Department vowed to inject a total of R19.3 million into the upgrade of various community and sports facilities across the metro, including Manenberg.

It is expected to be completed by the end of June.

The upgrades at The Greens sports complex include: timber play structure, new outdoor gym equipment, new signage, new outdoor benches, upgraded lighting and electrical infrastructure; upgraded perimeter and internal fencing, upgrades to hard surfaces (pedestrian and vehicular), two upgraded multi-purpose courts (netball and basketball), a warm-up running track, two new 5-a-side football synthetic pitches, and one upgraded full-sized football synthetic pitch.

Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Francine Higham, said the project is intended to bring much-needed recreational facilities to the community.

She said: “The project is not completed yet and the projected budget is R13 247 480. Completion is set for end June 2025 (The Greens portion of work).

“The facility was intended for recreational purposes and more community members of varying ages and abilities including sporting organisations will be able to utilise the facility.”

According to Pastor Vernon Visagie of the Manenberg Community Policing Forum (CPF), educational programmes and recreation was needed for the youth.

He added: “We are still faced with some challenges and this one is positive but is not going to solve our problems.

“Education and the high drop out rate is what is hampering positive changes."

Meanwhile, between September 2024 and the end of January, several key milestones were achieved as part of the Recreation and Parks Department's maintenance, repairs and upgrades programme on projects in Khayelitsha and Delft, new hockey pitches in Bellville and at Hartleyvale, and upgrades to the tune of just over R3 million at the Vygieskraal Stadium.

Higham also called on the community to be responsible custodians of the facilities, with vandalism and infrastructure theft often reported in crime-ridden areas on the Cape Flats. 

She added: “The City is committed to providing quality and safe spaces for sport and recreation, and the completion of these projects speaks to that commitment. 

“I encourage our communities to make full use of the facilities, and to help us protect them from theft, vandalism and other anti-social behaviour.”