The exorbitant cost of hiring the Chatsworth Stadium has led local community and sports organisations to call on the eThekwini municipality to reduce the rate, which has increased more than tenfold following a recent tariff increase.
From July 1, 2023, it costs R13 240 to hire the stadium. The previous rate was R1 200.
Local organisations say the high rate to hire the stadium could cripple their efforts to host sporting and community events.
Gugu Sisilana, the spokesperson for the eThekwini Municipality, said the R13 240 fee was a council approved tariff for use of the stadium, and was effective from the start of the financial year - July 1, 2023.
“The council approved tariffs increase with time and will not be the same as previous years. Council approved tariff increases apply to all stadiums in the city. Chatsworth Stadium is the biggest community stadium in the city in terms of its capacity after Moses Mabhida Stadium. Stadium rates are determined by its capacity. The stadium is used every week, which proves that the rates are reasonable considering the capacity of the stadium.
“Importantly, in comparison with other stadiums in the country, we want to emphasise that the rates charged are very low. This is precisely to ensure the continued use of the stadiums.”
However, community leaders disagree, saying the hike was unaffordable and ridiculous.
In December, the Chatsworth Football Association, which has about 3 500 children in its soccer program - a large number of whom are underprivileged - was on the brink of cancelling its annual event due the tariff hike.
The association is an affiliate of the South African Football Association (Safa).
Nelson Spinx Kuppen, the association’s president, said they usually paid only about R1 180 to use the stadium, which was a reasonable amount, and usually came from fundraising.
“When we were asked to pay R13 500, it blew us away. We are a non-profit organisation which caters for youth and children, aiming to uplift them through sport and social cohesion free of charge. We volunteer our time for this. We could not raise that amount and were about to cancel the event. In a last ditch attempt, we joined members of the Chatsworth Concerned Citizens group to visit the mayor's office and find out if, as community organisations, we could get a reduction in the fee, but were met with silence.
“We were told we would get feedback and we left, but nobody made contact with us after that. Thankfully, a generous sponsor donated the funds and we were still able to host the Tyran Naidoo Memorial Tournament in December. Although we had to pay the exorbitant fee, the condition of the stadium was bad. The grass was not cut, the place was filthy and the sink was clogged,” Kuppen said.
The chairperson of the Chatsworth Concerned Citizens group, Selvan Moodley, said he had tried to get feedback from the municipality and the mayor's office on why local non-profit organisations were not given a reduced rate.
“All organisations which benefit the community should be allowed to use the venue at a reduced rate or free of charge. When we queried the increase, we didn't get much joy.
“We then went to the mayor's office because we could not allow our community to lose out on facilities such as the stadium. But there too, nobody wanted to speak to us. The Chatsworth Concerned Citizens group cancelled our joint sporting and social event in December because we could not afford the fee.
“Sadly, there is no other venue that can hold thousands of people safely in our community. The tariff hike will be a barrier in the development of our children and youth,” Moodley said.
Shameen Thakur Rajbansi, leader of the Minority Front, whose late husband, Amichand Rajbansi, played a vital role in the process of the building of Chatsworth Stadium, said when she found out about the tariff hike, she was deeply disappointed.
“The tariff is absolutely unaffordable to local clubs. It is ridiculous that the municipality has placed high fees for the use of the stadium when upkeep and maintenance is not up to standard. The stadium, which was used by the local community, is now used by many other outside groups and is heavily trafficked by outside users. The municipality should be setting fees differently for the local community, and raise it when it is being utilised by those outside the community.
“The stadium should be affordable for locals because the stadium was built from a Community Involvement Fund and Community Facility Fund. Pioneer families living in Chatsworth also contributed to funding and built the stadium. Therefore, it should be owned by the community. There should be a stadium council or committee set up to take the reins. The committee should be in charge of taking care of, developing and generating revenue, as well as developing local sport,” she said.
Syd Suknunun, community leader and activist, added that Chatsworth-based organisations should motivate for a reduction in the amount, or for a waiver on the payment completely.
“We need our municipality to know that in Chatsworth there is a complete lack of recreational facilities. As a result of incompetent staff and the lack of basic maintenance, most recreation facilities, including parks, open spaces, children’s play areas, sports amenities and their ablution and facilities are now unusable.
“So much for a city which is aiming to become the most caring on the continent by 2030. I wonder if the municipality is aware of the important role of the organisers of sporting and family fun events, which draw record crowds representing all sections of our community and promote social cohesion,” Suknunun added.