Moses Mabhida Stadium to get R36m IT fix amid 'bad management' criticism

eThekwini municipality will fork out R36m to upgrade network infrastructure at its Moses Mabhida Stadium.

This includes technological systems for cameras, access controls, internet access and ticketing for the stadium. 

The stadium was built for the 2010 World Cup at a cost of about R3.4bn.

“We must understand that every three to five years when a new stadium is built for a Fifa World Cup, the network and technology that functions the facilities changes. To function as a modern stadium, the network system must be upgraded and that is part of the management of infrastructure,” said Vusi Mazibuko, head of eThekwini stadia and facilities.

Mazibuko was addressing the city’s executive committee meeting on Monday, where most members voted in favour of approving the project.

“Modern stadia are designed in such a way that all technological systems function in an integrated manner and they are powered by the network infrastructure. It is the backbone of a modern stadium and should be upgraded every 10 years,” he said.

Mazibuko said there was previously a budget to refresh the stadium’s network infrastructure but the upgrade didn't occur due to budget cuts.

Zamazulu Sokhabase, community services chairperson, said the upgrade was to ensure the stadium retained its status as one of the best in the world.

“This project will improve co-ordinated service to security and improve the access control system for tickets. We are using the old ticketing system so we need a new one that is centralised. It will also integrate air-conditioning to this new system. It will improve the internet service, lighting control and information management system,” she said.

Although the DA chose to abstain, the item was approved after most members voted in favour of it.

Sokhabase conceded there were no funds for the project. She said funds would be sourced from savings the city made at the end of the year.

She reiterated refreshing a stadium’s network infrastructure was nothing new and had happened to other stadiums locally and abroad.

Having hosted seven MTN8 finals and four Nedbank cup finals over the past decade, the most in each competition over that period, Moses Mabhida has long been at the forefront of the city’s plan to be the “go to” place to host major sporting events and take advantage of the lucrative sports tourism industry.

Critics slated the expense as more “bad management” of the facility. This comes after reports emerged the 13-year-old stadium had structural challenges

The item will be brought before a full council on Wednesday.

Nicole Bollman, DA whip of community services, told TimesLIVE the party had decided it would not support the motion when it is put before council.

Bollman questioned the model Sokhabase said would fund the upgrade.

“They talk about taking funds from savings, but is it savings or unspent funds in departments which haven’t been used to do what they were meant to? There are a lot of grey areas in this and, as a committee, we’ve decided we will look at exactly where this is going to benefit our residents.”

She said it did not make sense to pump funds into a facility that had not been properly maintained in its 13 years while the city was faced with many service delivery challenges.

“When you look at the hierarchy of needs — safety, security, sustainability — as residents we don’t have that and the city is not providing options to us. Now they’re looking to bring all these things to Moses Mabhida and attract more tourists, but what chance do we have if our beaches are continuously opened and closed?” she said.

“We can’t keep upgrading a stadium that is not maintained. We can’t throw more money into a bottomless pit when our city is in a state of collapse.

“They want to sell it as a world-class stadium, but what else is the city doing to attract world-class events?”

Zwakele Mncwango, ActionSA caucus leader in eThekwini council, said it was “strange” mayor Mxolisi Kaunda had not mentioned this item during a finance committee meeting last week.

Mncwango said for the city to continue investing in a facility that did not generate revenue at this point was a “waste of public funds”.

“You can’t have an entity that needs funds for maintenance and upgrades but the same property never helps in terms of having revenue. If you invest that R36m, you need to say what you are expecting in terms of making revenue. Is this R36m investment going to help the city to make any revenue? If not, it is a waste of money,” he said.

Mncwango said one of the stadium’s revenue making outlets, the Skycar, had been allowed to remain inactive for five years shows the city is not properly managed.

Bollman shared similar sentiments, saying the stadium was said to have a lifespan of 50 years but needing upgrades after just 13 years showed poor management.

The stadium has consistently faced allegations it was “collapsing”, with media reports that some tenants left the facility because of cracks in the roof, walls and pillars needing major repairs that could cost millions.

Although Mazibuko previously disputed the stadium was collapsing, saying tenants were moving out because their businesses were struggling, Kaunda told a KZN publication in February the city had spent about R60m on repairs to the stadium's structural defects and the repairs were not yet complete.

Meanwhile, eThekwini will borrow R1.5bn from the Development Bank of Southern Africa to attend to infrastructure challenges in the city.

Reacting to the IFP and DA’s decision to oppose the recommendation until further discussions with their caucuses, Kaunda said: “If I’m not mistaken this report is not a new transaction, it’s something that has been approved. Now it’s a progress report which needs execution because they are ready. There was a recommendation for the DBSA to be a funder that was approved, so we are just approving the execution.”

The reports will be passed on to the full council for a final vote.

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