UNCOOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE: Nelson Mandela Bay’s R5m pitch problem — World Cup stadium loses two PSL games

The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium has lost two high-profile Premier Soccer League fixtures after pitch renovations left the playing surface unready, while the metro’s multimillion-rand sponsorship deal with Chippa United, the Eastern Cape’s only PSL club, has lapsed without renewal.

The setbacks have raised concerns about the future of the stadium, with Mayibuye Civic Movement president Tukela Zumani and the metro’s sport, recreation, arts and culture MMC, Sinebhongile Kwatsha, warning that without top-flight matches, the facility risks becoming a white elephant.

The sponsorship renewal never reached council after the metro’s sport, recreation, arts and culture committee rejected the proposal. The council went into recess without resolving the matter, leaving the future of the multimillion-rand deal uncertain.

In the latest mishap, the stadium missed two Chippa United fixtures scheduled for 16 August and 12 September, against Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns respectively, due to the failure to get the stadium ready after the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) commissioned construction work on the pitch that was apparently not completed on time.

The pitch required maintenance work after the Springboks versus Barbarians rugby clash at the stadium in June.

The work entails the resurfacing of the inner bowl pitch. The first phase began in June with the spraying of herbicide and pesticide to deal with weeds and insects. The rest of the work was scheduled to take about 14 weeks.

Zumani escalated the issue to the national government when he did not receive a satisfactory response from MBDA CEO Pierre Voges after writing to him, acting City Manager Lonwabo Ngoqo and Mayor Babalwa Lobishe on 16 September.

He said the direct financial loss to the city was severe and could not be brushed aside.

“For each of the two lost Category A games, the City has lost more than R2.5-million, resulting in a direct loss exceeding R5-million. This excludes the broader economic losses linked to sport tourism, hospitality, transport, informal trading, destination marketing, and the reputational damage caused by Nelson Mandela Bay appearing unable to honour fixtures it had every reason and obligation to protect.”

Zumani said the municipality remained exposed to payments to Chippa United despite the games being played elsewhere. He said this made the matter a direct public finance concern and raised the unavoidable question of fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

‘Unacceptable failure’

“Public money cannot continue to be spent without performance, without accountability, and without consequences for those responsible. It is politically and administratively unacceptable that the match between Chippa United and Orlando Pirates scheduled for August, and now the match between Chippa United and Mamelodi Sundowns scheduled for September, were not played in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium because of pitch or turf maintenance issues,” Zumani wrote.

He said this was a failure of leadership, planning, oversight and consequence management by those entrusted with protecting a strategic public asset. 

He said the MBDA ought to have been reasonably aware of the PSL fixtures and the dates on which the stadium would be required. 

Zumani said planned pitch maintenance should have been scheduled during the off-season and completed well ahead of the opening of the soccer season.

“Any unplanned repairs required after the Springboks match should have been treated as such and managed urgently without compromising confirmed PSL obligations. A full pitch maintenance overhaul close to the start of the season, when confirmed fixtures were already known, could predictably render the stadium unavailable.”

Mayibuye called for: 

• A full written report on the pitch maintenance programme, including dates, approvals, service providers, costs, scope of work and completion timelines;

• Disclosure of all communication between the MBDA, the municipality, Chippa United, the PSL and any relevant service providers on the readiness of the stadium;

• A calculation of the total direct and indirect financial loss suffered by the City as a result of the two lost fixtures. 

• A determination of whether the expenditure linked to these missed games constituted fruitless and wasteful expenditure;

• A clear consequence management plan identifying who would be held responsible, what action would be taken, and by when; and 

• An assurance that all future Category A and cup fixtures would be protected through proper maintenance planning, risk management and operational oversight. 

Similar matters contained in the letter were raised on 5 October in correspondence with Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa and his counterpart from the provincial department, Eastern Cape MEC Zolile Williams.

Zumani told Hlabisa that Voges’ response confirmed that the loss of these games had not been unavoidable, but resulted from a failure of planning, competence, risk management and oversight concerning the stadium pitch.

Voges’ response to the September letter reads: “Good afternoon. The loss of games was due to one reason, ie that the newly grown pitch is not ready. I will draft a proper response though.” 

Zumani said despite this admission, no proper report, explanation, accountability process or consequence-management plan had been provided.

‘Disappointed’

On 7 September, MBDA spokesperson Nicole Klawkow said in a statement after the PSL confirmed the moving of the game against Sundowns that they were disappointed with the decision, but remained committed to supporting the competition’s schedule. 

“[The] stadium has recently completed the installation of a new playing surface as part of its ongoing commitment to world-class facilities following a successful Springboks vs Barbarian clash. The pitch had to undergo intensive restoration ahead of the PSL releasing the season plan.”

Responding to Tuesday’s questions, Klawkow said the Sundowns fixture was moved following a 7 September inspection when the PSL determined that the stadium pitch required about two additional weeks of grass growth before it was considered suitable to host the match.

This was despite the stadium’s assessment that the playing surface had progressed sufficiently to accommodate the match, she said.

Klawkow indicated that the original anticipated completion date was about 22 September 2026. 

“The stadium subsequently accelerated the programme and extended working hours in an attempt to accommodate the 12 September fixture..

She said the MBDA acknowledged the significance of the missed fixtures and the disappointment associated with losing the opportunity to host such matches. 

‘Necessary maintenance’

Klawkow said the pitch refurbishment was a necessary maintenance intervention as the main playing surface had last undergone a comprehensive refurbishment in 2021. 

“This made the intervention necessary to restore the pitch and maintain the standards required for professional football and major events. When the refurbishment was planned, the final PSL fixtures had not yet been released. The two affected fixtures became known following the release of the draft schedule on 9 July 2026. The Stadium then accelerated the refurbishment programme and extended working hours, including overnight work, in an effort to accommodate the 12 September fixture.”

Speaking on the matter, MMC Kwatsha said acting City Manager Ngoqo did not want to solicit a legal opinion to clear the matter surrounding the sponsorship to Chippa.

She said that without the Category games, the MBDA would not earn enough revenue to maintain the facility.

“Our agreement (sponsorship) with Chippa has expired and needs to be renewed as a matter of urgency. The MBDA is losing business because of this,” said Kwatsha, who questioned how the agency could maintain the stadium without generating revenue.

“Council went to recess without resolving this serious matter; the mayor literally ran away. Without any activities at the stadium, it will be vandalised. We’ve already lost equipment worth R1.5-million at the Isaac Wolfson Stadium due to rampant vandalism and crime.”

Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya did not respond to questions. DM