CGA's Steven Khanyile hopeful that Track & Field meets will soon return to Bob van Reenen stadium
Central Gauteng Athletics Cross Country Chairperson Steven Khanyile has applauded the leadership of Mogale City for starting an initiative to clean up the area, especially the sports facilities. On Saturday Khanyile was one of several concerned Gauteng citizens who at the invitation of Executive Mayor councillor Tyron Gray, spent their morning picking up rubbish at the Bob van Reenen Stadium in Krugersdorp.
"The community around the stadium were concerned about the facility being closed and not being used for quite a long time," he told #TheTopRunner after the TSHEPANG BEKE LE BEKE Mayoral cleanup campaign. "They wanted to look at how they can make sure that the stadium is functional and they decided to work with the mayor. They asked to participate in the campaign."
Although his duties at the provincial sports federation are focussed on Cross Country, as a long serving athletics administrator, Khanyile is one of those who has been saddened by the demise of the once famous athletics track which has hosted the likes of Olympic silver medalist Frankie Fredericks and 100m world record holder Paul Nash.
"The stadium was really out of shape. It has been neglected for a very long time. The work that was done was cleaning up. They cut the grass, they cleaned the surroundings. The stadium is now in a position that it can be used for training, although that is not allowed yet. The tartan is not in a very good state," he said hinting at the future use of the facility.
That future use is likely to include local track and field events hosted by the local athletics body. "Everyone that was there including the Mayor, the speaker and the ward councillor were all talking the same language in terms of ensuring that a lot of events are brought to the stadium. I think CGA will also benefit a lot and I hope they will be able to drive events through Track & Field. We shall be able to have a choice between Boiksburg, Germiston, Ruimsig and now Bob van Reenen," he explained.
The TSHEPANG BEKE LE BEKE Mayoral cleanup campaign continues at the Bob van Reenen Stadium next week on Saturday and is open to members of the public who wish to volunteer their time. CGA will be enlisting the assistance of West Rand clubs to lend a hand. "There's quite a lot of work that still needs to be done at this stadium. But I was very happy with this campaign especially that the work that was done on just one day left the stadium in a very good shape," he concluded.