Construction of Makwala Sports Complex resumes
Chakalisa Dube | Saturday March 4, 2023 06:00
The construction of the stadium has been on hold since August last year following a dispute between the council and the main contractor Cressiando (Pty) Ltd. In September last year, the council said the dispute emanated from the fact that Cressiando (Pty) Ltd had submitted a proposal for an increase of the project budget. The contractor reportedly explained that the costs of the project had since skyrocketed owing to inflation. The position of the contractor was that supply challenges necessitated by the Ukraine-Russia war had contributed to a rise in commodity prices since the beginning of the year.
The escalation of prices was also partly attributed to supply chain challenges that came because of COVID-19. The contractor left the site of the project while the council was still assessing the proposal for an increase of the money allocated to the project. This week, the recently elected TDC chairperson, Thatayaone Kehetile confirmed that the standoff between the council and Cressiando has been resolved. “The project is fully funded by Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture but coordinated by the council. The ministry has finally acceded to the request by the contractor to increase funds for the project. After a thorough assessment among stakeholders, it was resolved that the contractor’s request for an increase of funds for the project is justified. The funds have since been availed,” said Kehitile.
He further told Mmegi Sport that he expects the project to resume any time after the start of the government fiscal year, which begins next month. “I toured the stadium yesterday. There is a bit of work to be done. When the site was abandoned, the parameter wall was yet to be constructed. The construction of the change rooms was also still at structural stage among others.” The construction of the complex was initially budgeted at P5 million and was scheduled to take 15 weeks. The idea to construct the Makwala Sports Complex was initiated in 2018. Then President Ian Khama said the facility would be named after renowned athlete Isaac Makwala in honour of his performance, zeal and the determination he demonstrated at the 2018 World Athletics Championships.