Pretoria - The City of Tshwane’s MMC for Social Development and Community Services, Peggy de Bruin, says she is satisfied with the construction work under way to revamp the historic Caledonian Stadium in Arcadia.
De Bruin this week announced during a visit to the stadium, which was built in 1903, that she was satisfied the project was on course for completion in this financial year.
She praised work already done at the stadium, saying it is slightly ahead of the project at Refilwe Stadium, which is also under construction.
Both stadiums have been allocated a capital budget of R85 million towards the construction and completion of the projects in the 2022/23 financial year.
Work at the Caledonian Stadium, which has been allocated at least R50m, includes stripping and demolition of old structures, removal/replacement of spectator seating and embankments and the building of a brick boundary wall.
Construction started at the Caledonian Stadium last year, following a sod-turning ceremony attended by mayor Randall Williams and then MMC Thabisile Vilakazi.
Vilakazi said at the time: “We made a promise to ensure that we refurbish the stadium.
“We have committed to a plan that will ensure that the stadium is upgraded accordingly.”
According to De Bruin, the Refilwe Stadium project, with an allocation of R35m, is also progressing well.
The MMC said: “The Social Development and Community Services Department is working diligently to ensure that our commitments and spending are transparent, and that the required budget is utilised for purposes of providing quality infrastructure and services for the benefit of our residents.”
In 2017, the mayor at the time, Solly Msimanga, announced that the City had set aside R67m to refurbish the stadium.
Msimanga promised that the project would be completed in three years, adding that the municipality and SuperSport United had entered into a deal stipulating that the facility would be the club’s home for playing their league matches on the completion of the refurbishment.
This was despite the fact that the facility had been used by Arcadia Shepherd since 1903.
Before the 2016 municipal elections, the then ANC-led administration had plans to demolish the stadium and turn it into a multi-purpose park.
However, such plans were derailed by a legal fight put up by Acadia Shepherds, under its manager Lucky Manna.
The stadium’s rich heritage in South Africa includes it once having been a playground for football stars such as Mark Fish, Bongani Khumalo and Itumeleng Khune.
Arcadia Shepherds produced the famous Wegerle brothers, Geoff, Steve and Roy.
Roy went on to play for Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers in the UK, and represented his adopted country, the US, in the World Cup.
Pretoria News