M74 million to renovate Setsoto Stadium

It will cost M74 million to renovate Setsoto Stadium and put it to a level to be approved to host international matches again. The national stadium has been barred from hosting international matches by Africa’s governing body, CAF, since 2022, which has forced Lesotho’s national team to host matches in South Africa.

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It has been an extremely costly exercise that has robbed Lesotho of home support.

The Minister of Tourism, Sports, Arts and Culture, Motlatsi Maqelepo, revealed the amount required yesterday afternoon during a handover of clothing to the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA).

Maqelepo said the ministry does not have the money and is working with the Ministry of Finance to raise it.

Maqelepo said they were given the figure of M74 million by the Ministry of Public Works after they evaluated what needs to be done at Setsoto. Since last year, only the artificial turf has been removed and nothing else has moved since. Likuena, meanwhile, continue to play their games in South Africa.

The sports minister said the contractor that removed the turf has only been paid half of what they were owed as first payment.

Maqelepo narrated the problems the sports ministry faced from the Public Works when the payment was supposed to be processed.

He said when he was appointed minister last November he was given a progress report on the stadium and was told the turf had been removed. However, the Ministry of Public Works refused to approve the first payment claiming they were not involved in the project from the beginning.

“There came a time when that turf had to be paid for, I still remember the first payment was over M1 million to the contractor,” minister Maqelepo said.

“(The Ministry of Public) Works said they can only approve half a million payment (M500 000), and that’s the only thing we managed to pass and the financial year ended,” he said.

When the new financial year began, the Ministry of Tourism, Sports, Arts and Culture was given a ceiling of M91 million that Maqelepo said went to salaries and operations.

He said they are working with the finance ministry to raise money to fix the stadium in time for Likuena’s next FIFA World Cup qualifying matches which are next year in March.

“Through lobbying and influence, (the ministry of) finance say they are aware we need the stadium,” Maqelepo said.

“So many things are not working at the stadium. Public Works did their evaluations (and) they said we need M74 million. That’s what we are doing, engaging with the finance (ministry) on how we raise it as soon as possible to ensure the (Setsoto) stadium is fixed.”

Tlalane Phahla

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