Residents are complaining that they don’t have decent sports facilities in Bonteheuwel, but some of them are responsible for the demise of the facilities.
So says local Ward councillor, Angus McKenzie. “For many years, the Metropolitan Sports Field, commonly known as the Met, has been the home of sports for Bonteheuwel,” he said. “This once-functional facility has been the creator of heroes and the realisation of dreams. Over the past few months, however, ongoing vandalism has not only seen the facility lose its shine and glamour but has seriously dented the image of sports in Bonteheuwel and curtailed the growth and development of talent in Bonteheuwel.”.
According to McKenzie he was shocked on a recent a site visit to the facility. “We were shocked at the extent of vandalism. Everything has been stripped from the facility, and what was sadder while walking through it was the missing heart and soul that almost seemed ripped from it, a faded version of itself at the height of its illustrious past.
“However, the very people who have benefited from it are now ripping it apart. We are united in our strong condemnation of the vandalism taking place at the Met and call on the very community it was built for to stand with us in not only in bringing those responsible for its degradation to book, but working together to bring the love and respect that once prevailed for this facility back.
“It belongs to the people of Bonteheuwel, who have a responsibility towards it. This is a sad day for sports and recreation in the area.”
After the site visit vandals set fire to the facility. “They may have set the facility on fire, but they’ve not killed the fire and passion we have for sports and recreation in Bonteheuwel and its ability to be a catalyst of real change in the lives of our youth, the lives of people and the future of our community.”
