Oshakati Stadium heading for repairs

REPAIR work on the Oshakati Independence Stadium will cost over N$90 000 after the seats were damaged and a wall at the newly constructed facility collapsed in January.

The stadium, which was completed after seven years of construction, has been at the centre of a controversy with numerous complaints from the public about the low standard of the facilities. The money for the repair-work will now be forked out by the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture, which has jurisdiction over the use of the multi-million dollar stadium.The Director for Maintenance at the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication, Ben Booysen, told The Namibian Sport that the seating of the pavilion needed further reinforcement.The damage was estimated at N$10 000 and its repair would cost the Ministry at least N$55 000.”The cost for rebuilding the wall that has collapsed is assessed at N$25 000,” he said.The Director of Sport, Vetumbuavi Veii, confirmed that the money for the repair-work was available, but they were still waiting for the assessment report from the Ministry of Works.The damage to the seats was caused by jubilant fans who were watching a match during the preliminary rounds of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) Cup after the inauguration of the stadium.Booysen said the wall collapsed because it was poorly constructed.He said the repair work would start soon since the country’s Independence celebrations were expected to be held at the venue on March 21.He said that CC Construction had now been appointed to do the repair-work and that the stadium also lacked reliable security services.When The Namibian visited the field last week, there was only one caretaker at the field.Since he also served as a security guard, this gave vandals a chance to enter the field in his absence.It was also found that the lawn on the playing field had not been fertilised for some time and the grass did not appear to be in a good condition.The stadium, which was inaugurated by President Sam Nujoma late last year, was for N$20 million.In addition, The Namibian contributed N$163 000 for the erection of a security fence, which was completed before the inauguration.The stadium was built in four phases consisting of the field, the draining of the field, the pavilion as well as the track and the ablution facilities.The Namibian Newspaper Cup will take place at the 8 000-seat stadium during the Easter weekend.The money for the repair-work will now be forked out by the Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture, which has jurisdiction over the use of the multi-million dollar stadium.The Director for Maintenance at the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication, Ben Booysen, told The Namibian Sport that the seating of the pavilion needed further reinforcement.The damage was estimated at N$10 000 and its repair would cost the Ministry at least N$55 000.”The cost for rebuilding the wall that has collapsed is assessed at N$25 000,” he said.The Director of Sport, Vetumbuavi Veii, confirmed that the money for the repair-work was available, but they were still waiting for the assessment report from the Ministry of Works.The damage to the seats was caused by jubilant fans who were watching a match during the preliminary rounds of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) Cup after the inauguration of the stadium.Booysen said the wall collapsed because it was poorly constructed.He said the repair work would start soon since the country’s Independence celebrations were expected to be held at the venue on March 21.He said that CC Construction had now been appointed to do the repair-work and that the stadium also lacked reliable security services.When The Namibian visited the field last week, there was only one caretaker at the field.Since he also served as a security guard, this gave vandals a chance to enter the field in his absence.It was also found that the lawn on the playing field had not been fertilised for some time and the grass did not appear to be in a good condition.The stadium, which was inaugurated by President Sam Nujoma late last year, was for N$20 million.In addition, The Namibian contributed N$163 000 for the erection of a security fence, which was completed before the inauguration.The stadium was built in four phases consisting of the field, the draining of the field, the pavilion as well as the track and the ablution facilities.The Namibian Newspaper Cup will take place at the 8 000-seat stadium during the Easter weekend.