Tswelopele Local Municipality mayor, Matso Mathibe, has encouraged community members to start forming sport clubs in preparation for the completion of a state-of-the-art sport facility.

The municipality has commenced with a construction of a new R4.8-million sports complex in Bultfontein.

The facility comprises a soccer pitch equipped with a water drainage system, a grandstand, as well as volleyball, tennis and netball courts.

Mathibe expressed concern that many children have nothing to do after school and on weekends, a situation that has a potential to create a breeding ground for high crime rates.

She said residents of the area have been raising a concern about the lack of sport facilities in the area for the past few years. According to Mathibe, parents have been concerned that boredom and lack of jobs leads their children to a life of drug and alcohol abuse which often result in involvement in criminal actitvities.

“The Bultfontein stadium is in a state of disrepair and is not safe for children to use, so the reconstruction was an urgent need. I am confident the complex will attract more young people and enable them to realise their full sporting potential,” said Mathibe.

“Sport is not only good for the physical and mental development of children; it also helps nurture their leadership skills.”

The project is scheduled for completion in June this year and is said to be 75 percent complete.