Deputy sport minister Dino Ballotti has criticised the state of the Nkurenkuru Youth Sport Complex, saying he is “truly not happy” that athletes are still playing on gravel instead of a grass field.

“I’m not happy as I stand here this morning,” Ballotti said on Friday during the handover of materials to 11 Rural Youth Constituency Enterprises in Nkurenkuru. “We’re standing on a gravel pitch where I would want us to be standing on a grass field, and I’m going to say again, I’m truly not happy.”

Ballotti said the situation persists despite sustained engagement.

“This field that we’re standing on today, young people, I can tell you that I’ve been here. We’ve written memos, we’ve written emails, we’ve written letters, we’ve engaged, but yet, still today, we are standing on a field of sand and stone,” he said.

“Perhaps I should physically come with a shovel and we can start doing some irrigation work, because I don’t know what more we need to do to ensure that this field, with budget prevailing, remains a sand and stone field in Kavango West,” he said.

He warned that the problem could undermine local football progress.

“KK United is the only team from Kavango West that currently stands first in the First Division log for the Northeast Stream, and the question arises about where they will play if promoted,” he said.

Kavango West Regional Youth Forum chairperson David Nekaro urged urgent action, saying the condition of the stadium requires immediate attention.

“The issue of the stadium needs urgent attention,” he said. “We can’t have our teams travelling to Rundu every weekend for their games. This is really affecting the entrepreneurs in the Kavango West region.”

He added that youth performance is also being affected.

“Our U/20 team, most of whom were not chosen because they used to play in the sandy fields, found it was hard for them to showcase their talents,” he said.

An initial N$ 10 million was allocated in the 2023/24 financial year for Phase 1A of the Nkurenkuru Multipurpose Youth Resource Centre and Sport Complex, covering feasibility, design, documentation and site layout.

The ministry has earmarked an additional N$ 45 million for subsequent phases through 2027.

The site was handed over in March 2024, with the Rundu Vocational Training Centre involved in construction. 

-Nampa