E98m bill for: Somhlolo ‘no man’s land’ stands construction

MBABANE – The Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs needs E98 million to construct stands in the Somhlolo National Stadium’s ‘no man’s land’ area.

Speaking to the Eswatini News Sports Desk, Minister Bongani Nzima revealed that they have engaged a contractor, who assessed the area where the proposed stands will be built at the national arena.

The minister stated that the contractor informed them the entire project would cost government E98 million.

“We engaged a contractor to assess and evaluate the cost of constructing the stands in the no man’s land and, upon finishing, they said it will cost E98 million,” Nzima said.

When quizzed on whether this amount would be used to finish the other areas flagged by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Nzima explained that the money is projected solely for the construction of the stands.

“We had requested E140 million from government to complete the rehabilitation of the stadium; however, we were given E42 million, which was redirected to other projects,” he said.

He added that they are now pinning their hopes on government allocating the funds through a subvention to begin construction, while noting that constructing a new stadium would also be a prudent move by the government going forward.

It is worth noting that key projects initially flagged by CAF during their first inspection include the construction of the eastern stand in the ‘no-man’s land’, a dedicated media centre and modern ablution facilities.

The required funds would also cater for first aid facilities, turnstiles, fencing, gates, external paving and hospitality cladding. Furthermore, comprehensive upgrades are needed for the stadium’s electrical, mechanical, firefighting, CCTV and sound systems.

However, the rehabilitation is currently stalled, as a lack of funding has prevented the execution of the final phase required for full compliance. This development comes after the Parliamentary Finance Portfolio Committee redirected funds allocated to the ministry during the budget speech earlier this year to micro-projects.

Minister for Finance Neal Rijkenberg had previously allocated E42 million to renovate the stadium to meet strict hosting standards, but those funds were similarly redirected, effectively halting progress on the venue.

While Somhlolo National Stadium was previously granted temporary approval by CAF, that clearance has since expired, leaving the venue no longer certified to host Category ‘A’ international matches. Since the stadium was officially banned by CAF in 2019, the national team, Sihlangu Semnikati and the country’s continental club envoys have been forced to source alternative venues in South Africa, most notably Mbombela Stadium, to host their home fixtures.

Constructing single stands to achieve full venue compliance is not unique to Eswatini, as similar infrastructure projects across South Africa demonstrate. Notably, during the upgrading of the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, developers had to construct a completely new open stand on the eastern side to increase seating capacity and meet stringent international requirements set by football governing bodies. Similar single-stand additions have been executed at venues like Orlando Stadium and Peter Mokaba Stadium to transform partial enclosures into fully functional, high-capacity arenas capable of hosting international fixtures.

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