Excited! This is how Lubabalo Ngcaweni, Director: Infrastructure said he was feeling about
one of the huge projects they are responsible for – the multi-purpose sports field on the main campus. Ngcaweni was addressing stakeholders who had come to witness the official handing over of the facility to the Sport and Recreation Unit. Ngcaweni said the facility was more than just brick and mortar. “It is a dream realised. Every completed project is a major win for us in Infrastructure, especially given where we are coming from. Today, my MUT community has a beautiful, functional sports facility,” said Ngcaweni.
This is a huge facility where athletes who perform nine sporting codes will show their sporting abilities. These codes are soccer, rugby, long jump; triple jump, pole vault; shot put, hammer throw, athletics (track events), and steeple chase with water jump. “This wide range of codes ensures we serve various student athletes and sports programmes,” said Ngcaweni.
The facility meets national standards, “and is only a few steps away from being classified as an international standard facility,” Ngcaweni said, adding that they were constrained by space and could only provide six lanes. Facilities at international level must have eight lanes. “Still, this remains one of the most advanced university sports facilities nationally, and we should be proud of that, he said.
Ngcaweni also added that the facility was a major motivator for our team and a testament that we can deliver, even under pressure. We hope this win will inspire more of our project managers to push through their projects with speed and deliver value to our community. Ngcaweni said they had decided with the Sport and Recreation Unit and the Facilities Unit to retain the specialists who have been maintaining the field during construction. “Their expertise is vital,” he said.
Accepting this magnificent asset, Deputy Director: Sport and Recreation, Siyabulela Mkwalo, said they had developed a Sport facility hire framework that will be presented to the Executive Management Committee for approval before its implementation. “The framework provides detailed guidelines about the classified events that will be permitted to happen at the field, as well as related tariffs for external users. Supporting what Ngcaweni said, Mkwalo added that “tight security measures that protect this modern infrastructure are going to be applied at all times”.