Govt admits Centres of Excellence blunder

Calistus Kolantsho | Friday June 6, 2014 15:15

She said the Centres started operating before they were fully equipped and have since struggled to get the required number of athletes.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday, Maphorisa said when the Centres were rolled out, the idea was to develop talent from the grassroots.

However, she said the Centres lack the necessary equipment. Maphorisa said the programme is struggling to attract the right numbers as parents are not keen to release their children.

Additionally, the government is still grappling with the unresolved teachers’ overtime allowance issue for presiding over sports activities in schools. There is also a shortage of coaches.

Maphorisa stated that running sports is expensive. She informed the PAC that there are 12 Centres of Excellence across the country.

The MP for Shoshong, Philip Makgalemele said the Centres should have been equipped before being rolled out. Fidelis Molao of Tonota North said the programme could  help catapult young athletes to global stardom.

Meanwhile, Maphorisa informed the committee that the tender for the refurbishment of Francistown Stadium is out. The ministry wants the running track replaced, the structural and electrical defects fixed. Maphorisa said they want the works to be complete next year. The multi-million pula stadium was supposed to be completed in April 2010.

Maphorisa informed the PAC that the Serowe Sports Complex works are almost complete. The facility is getting a new artificial turf and sewerage pipes. The P40 million complex, which houses among other things a 6,000-seater stadium, netball, volleyball, softball and tennis courts was constructed in 2002 in black clay soil resulting in structural defects.

Maphorisa announced that there are no plans to construct a new stadium in Serowe.