Two years after assurances that repairs would restore the Cambridge Sports Fields facility, the building remains in a state of neglect, raising concern among community members and local sports groups who say the once-promising project has been left to deteriorate.
In 2024, Ward 4 councillor Allister Stewart said plans were in place to repair the facility during the 2021/2022 financial year, with more than R800,000 allocated to improve the building and make it suitable for community use.
At the time, Buffalo City Metro (BCM) also planned to lease the property to a local sports club.
As part of the arrangement, the municipality was expected to provide security to protect the facility from vandalism.
However, security measures were never implemented, and the building was left exposed to damage and misuse.
Stewart confirmed that the R800,000 budget was spent on upgrades to the fencing, as well as aluminium windows and doors, which were later stolen.
According to Stewart, the absence of security made the building vulnerable to vandalism.
“Unfortunately, the sports department does not have funds to repair the dilapidated building again.
“The lease department also took too long to finalise an agreement with the club that was meant to take over the facility, which is why the building remained vacant.”
He said several sports clubs had shown interest in managing or leasing the facility, but their proposals were never approved.
“There were many sports clubs willing to take over the facility, but BCM refused,” he said.
“At one stage, the municipality said the property belonged to them, but later they said it belonged to the Cambridge Sports Club.
“There is no formal agreement with any club to use the facility,” he said.
Progressive Community Movement president Schalk van der Sandt said he had approached the former mayoral committee member for sport, recreation, arts and culture Graham Lottering, but changes to the municipal administration meant the discussions did not lead to any action.
Van der Sandt said conditions at the facility were alarming.
“I visited the site last Wednesday. It’s in a horrific state,” he said.
“Two years ago, I asked the ward councillor to hand over the facility to the Cambridge Rugby Club, which was celebrating its 99th anniversary in 2024.
“We were told the building had been renovated for the ward councillor, but instead it has been vandalised and turned into a [alleged] drug haven.”
He said the municipality should urgently clean and secure the property so it could again function as a community sports facility.
“There are many sports clubs that need facilities for their teams.
“If the municipality gives a club ownership or responsibility for the facility, that club will ensure the place is maintained and kept safe.”
A visit to the site on Monday revealed the extent of the neglect.
The building is surrounded by overgrown grass and much of the perimeter fence has been stolen.
The structure’s aluminium windows and doors have been stripped and the building ransacked.
Though the main structure remains intact, the interior is littered with rubbish and human waste, suggesting the abandoned building has been used as shelter.
Cambridge Rugby Club president Vincent de Wet said the club had tried to get permission to use the fields as training grounds.
“We have to travel from Cambridge to Gonubie for our practice sessions because we do not have any other place to use,” he said.
Cambridge Sports Club manager David Els said the land from the tennis courts to the sports fields had previously been returned to BCM.
“We only run the bowling club, which hosts different sports codes such as boot camps and bowling, and sometimes children from the nearby informal settlement use our field for soccer,” he said.
Els said the municipality had indicated it intended to lease the fields to local sports clubs.
BCM spokesperson Bongani Fuzile confirmed that the building had previously been leased and used as an office by the ward councillor.
“When the club was active, the municipality continued to support the property, including cutting the grass, until the facility was eventually abandoned,” Fuzile said.
He said the municipality would investigate the circumstances surrounding the property.
For now, however, the facility remains abandoned while residents and sports organisations continue to call for it to be restored for public use.
Earlier in 2026, the Dispatch reported that several sporting codes in the city were struggling because of deteriorating sports facilities.
The vandalised clubhouse at the United Cricket Club in Buffalo Flats is another example of the ongoing decline of public sporting infrastructure in Buffalo City.
Daily Dispatch
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