adminCurtworth Masango
Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) chairman, Gerald Mlotshwa, has said they are limited in the jurisdiction of outright control of the country’s stadiums.
All the country’s stadiums do not meet CAF requirements and are banned from hosting international matches.
Speaking in response on the progress of refurbishment of the National Sports Stadium, Mlotshwa indicated that the SRC only has operational control, and refurbishments are the duty of the Government.
“There is always this impression that the SRC is in control of various stadiums around the country. We are not in control, that’s the starting point,” he said.
“We have operational control. We are basically the caretakers of these stadiums. So, in terms of making sure that the football pitch is in condition, is secure security wise, yes we have control over that.
“But when it comes to fundamental issues like refurbishment, the SRC does not have control over that. That is an issue that is dealt with at Government level, at the Ministry (of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation) level. It is dealt with from a Treasury perspective and it’s an issue that is important such that it is dealt with from a procurement perspective.”
Mlotshwa said the country’s laws don’t allow procurement processes to be rushed through unless there’s heavy lobbying, which the SRC has already done.
“The current Act essentially limits the amount of influence a Minister, let alone the SRC can have in the procurement processes. So, no matter how urgent we may want something done, it is still subject to procurement processes and those processes may not move at the speed we may wish.
“At the end of the day, we got some influence from a lobbying perspective. Given the pace at which the procurement process was progressing, we lobby it. There is much appreciation for the Minister (Kirsty Coventry) in that respect.
“She took it upon herself to express her concerns which were expressed and as a result (from a Cabinet perspective) a decision was made to forgo all the procurement processes as we understand them and rather proceed by what is perceived as direct procurement,” Mlotshwa said.
“A consultant has now been consulted to refurbish the stadium and lead the process of identifying suitable contractors to refurbish the stadium.
“I know that the contractor contracts have been approved by the Attorney General and that’s the process. It’s a process that can’t be rushed, but as far as I know, it’s virtually complete and soon we will be seeing tangible progress. An update will come from the Ministry itself. So, there is something quite seriously happening behind the scenes,” he said.
Online Reporter