Mogale City Executive Mayor Councillor Patrick Lipudi officially opened the refurbished Kagiso Sports Complex at an event attended by both young and old sports luminaries around the West Rand.
The revamped sports complex, which cost the municipality over R24 million, is in Kagiso – the oldest township in the West Rand.
The complex now boasts two state-of-the-art double-storey buildings and an administration building which is adjacent to the newly constructed netball, volleyball, tennis and basketball courts.
The first double-story building which overlooks two soccer fields with floodlights, is a clubhouse and features a VIP seating area, two sets of change rooms and ablution facilities. The top floor of the second building is home to a boxing gym while an aerobics studio occupies the bottom floor.
In his address, Councillor Lipudi expressed the municipality’s commitment to revamping sports facilities throughout the city while promoting all sporting codes.
“This city has produced great athletes in various sporting codes from boxing, soccer, tennis, cricket and athletics. It is therefore not surprising that the municipality took a deliberate strategic decision to make substantial investments in revamping and refurbishing sports facilities in the city,” Councillor Lipudi said.
A former avid soccer player himself, Councillor Lipudi added that sports can play a critical role in building social cohesion in the country.
“We are further revamping sports facilities because we recognise that sports is one of the ways to get the youth off the streets and away from negative influences and behaviour such as drug and alcohol abuse which inevitably leads to crime and other ills,” the executive mayor added.
The handover ceremony was officiated by the new Social Services Executive Manager Mr. Ashmar Khudige. The executive mayor was also accompanied by relevant members of the mayoral committee Councillors Charmaine Ntlatlane-Zwane, Francinah Chohledi and Paul Molapo.