Latest news with #SportandRecreation
The Citizen
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Committee uncovers irregularities in stadium project in Leandra
The Select Committee on Public Participation, Petitions and Members' Legislative Proposals did a follow-up oversight visit to the Lebohang Stadium in Leandra on May 13. The visit followed a 2019 petition by the local sports council citing poor workmanship on the stadium, initially envisioned as a state-of-the-art multipurpose facility. Committee chairperson Siphosezwe Mahlangu opened the meeting by outlining the committee's constitutional mandate. All the stakeholders were invited to account for their roles in the project. The Govan Mbeki Municipality, represented by municipal manager Elliot Maseko, explained that R11m in funding was received through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) for phase one of the project in 2018/19. However, serious discrepancies in execution were identified, leading the municipality to allocate an additional R3m for remedial work and request R10m from the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation (DCSR) for phase two. The DCSR withheld the funds due to unresolved concerns regarding misallocated spending in phase one. MEC Leah Mabuza praised the sports council's responsible actions and the legislature's oversight, committing to ensuring accountability. She emphasised the importance of quality service delivery in projects uplifting poor communities. The provincial and national Departments of Sports, Arts and Culture said several errors had plagued phase one. The provincial department denied early involvement in the project, a claim disputed by the national department and viewed as unsatisfactory by the committee. Songezo Phethelo, the director for infrastructure development at the national department, criticised the lack of ownership from provincial counterparts. This committee echoed this concern, demanding higher standards of accountability. Sports council chairperson Abednego Lukhele recounted the council's exclusion from the project's implementation, blaming it for the substandard outcome. He commended the legislature for its intervention and the community of Leandra for responding peacefully despite frustrations. The committee condemned the overall handling of the project and raised several unresolved questions, including: • Why was the provincial department not involved from the beginning? • What remedial actions have been taken? • Is the project's current state worth the R11m already spent? • Why was the sports council excluded from the project steering committee? • Why were payments approved for uncompleted work? The committee expressed concern over escalating costs now estimated at R24m and called for serious consequence management, which might include employee dismissals, arrests, repayment of public funds and blacklisting the implicated service providers. The matter was referred to the Select Committee on Public Accounts for further investigation, with a directive for all stakeholders to submit detailed reports and attend future hearings. ALSO READ: A day in the life of a Standerton midwife ALSO READ: Tshwane is making strides in tackling Bronkhorstspruit's water issues At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
ABC News
23-04-2025
- General
- ABC News
Chimpanzee Cassius dies aged 53 at Rockhampton Zoo
The oldest male chimpanzee in Australasia has died, aged 53, after almost four decades "capturing hearts" at a regional Queensland zoo. The Rockhampton council, which runs the local zoo, said Cassius "passed away peacefully" last Thursday, after suffering in recent months from suspected arthritis and dementia. "They gave him the very best last day he possibly could have," councillor Cherie Rutherford said. "He had lots of treats that he would not normally get and he was surrounded by all the keepers ... they stayed with him right till the very end. "The [rest of] the troop were allowed to spend time with him as well, so that they understood that he was gone." Cassius suffered from suspected arthritis and dementia. ( Supplied: Rockhampton Zoo ) Cr Rutherford said the difficult decision was made to euthanase Cassius after his health declined rapidly last week and he was not recognising some of the other chimpanzees in the troop. "He ended up having more bad days than good days," she said. The council waited to announce the news until after the Easter break. 'Most beautiful nature' Cassius, described as a "gorgeous old soul", had lived well past the average life span of a wild chimpanzee, which ranges from 30 to 40 years. The council had warned the community last month that his health had been on the decline. Cr Rutherford acknowledged that Cassius held a special place in the community's hearts and his legacy of establishing the troop in central Queensland would continue to live on. "He genuinely did like people … he would just be sitting there waiting to interact with everybody with that big gummy smile of his," she said. "He had the most beautiful nature … he had a wonderful life here. How lucky are we to have had him. "A beautiful old soul who captured the hearts of everyone he met." Keepers described Cassius as a "gorgeous old soul". ( Supplied: Rockhampton Zoo ) Escaping death row Born in Coolangatta in 1971, Cassius first came to the Rockhampton Zoo almost forty years ago. In 1986 Tom Wyatt, the director of Rockhampton's Sport and Recreation, was trying to set up a zoo in the city's botanic gardens. Mr Wyatt, former councillor John Broad and then-mayor Jim Webber The pair was set to be euthanased after a tuberculosis scare. Though it was confirmed neither chimp had the illness, the state governments in both New South Wales and Queensland would not sign permits for an interstate transfer. The pair was brought to the Rockhampton Zoo and with infrastructure established, more chimpanzees were eventually brought in to grow the troop. The five-member troop is now a key part of the "Aside from that it's one of our best tourist attractions," Cr Rutherford said. "[The chimps] have just brought so much to the community and Cassius in particular — people will remember him for a very long time." Cr Rutherford said the community would have an opportunity to remember Cassius at a memorial in the coming weeks.
