MPS DEMAND TOTAL BILL FOR HOSTING AWAY

MBABANE – The 56-year-old Somhlolo National Stadium, once a beacon of national pride, now stands as a symbol of missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential.

Some Members of Parliament (MPs) have voiced out their concerns, questioning whether this historic venue will ever meet modern international standards. Mbabane East MP Welcome Dlamini has urged the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs to take immediate action through a motion in parliament. He raised his motion on Thursday and he was seconded by Ngudzeni MP Charles Ndlovu. The motion also demands accountability for the revenue lost during the stadium’s prolonged unavailability for international matches. “To move that the Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs provides this Honourable House with a detailed report on how much revenue the country has lost as a result of the ongoing ban that has been imposed against the use of the Somhlolo National Stadium to host international soccer matches,” reads the motion.

Dlamini also stressed the need for the ministry to quantify the economic losses and urged it to treat football as a serious business. “Additionally, the minister should outline the steps that are being taken to ensure that the stadium meets the required standard to host international matches and the specific date on which this would be achieved,” further reads the motion.
While motivating the motion on Thursday, he said while growing up, he witnessed the bustling activity and economic opportunities that came with Sihlangu and CAF inter-club competitions in the country. Dlamini highlighted some economic and social benefits of hosting international matches locally. “Hosting international matches at Somhlolo comes with a lot of home-ground advantages, especially economically in terms of tourism and socially,” he said.

He said sports tourism was a vital industry. He requested the ministry not to treat football merely as a game but as a business. “Vendors and many who sell at the stadiums would earn a lot of income, which no longer happens because we don’t have a stadium to host international matches. One wonders how much we have lost as a country. Ezulwini would be a hive of activity with hotels filled up, which no longer happens,” the MP said.

The MP also expressed frustration over local teams like Swallows and Nsingizini Hotspurs investing in other countries’ economies by hosting matches in South Africa. “How many games have we hosted outside the country in the past five years, and how much have we spent? That is something we need to know to appreciate the value of having a stadium of international standard. Without quantifying the numbers, no one will appreciate how greatly we need a stadium and how much we are losing because of the unavailability of Somhlolo,” he said.   Meanwhile, Ngudzeni MP Ndlovu echoed these sentiments and said it was possible to compute how much revenue has been spent on stadium hire in the past years. The seconder also condemned the lack of urgency in addressing the issue. He pointed out that other countries have completed stadium renovations in mere months. Among the now-required benchmarks, he saw some as attainable while others were like “nailing jelly to the wall.”

“I think the fourth one (fourth benchmark for Somhlolo) is that seats must be two metres high above the ground where they begin. I see this as not achievable, and I request that the minister give us clarification on how he will ensure the stadium meets this condition,” Ndlovu said.  However, those benchmarks he said were possible to meet include a big screen and a standby power generator. The ongoing phase will address this two.

During the discussion two days ago, the minister appreciated the concerns and requested to adjourn the debate and respond in writing within seven days. However, the motion mover decried this and criticised it for stifling further debate. He said some MPs had travelled to Mozambique to watch Swallows’ return match against Clube Ferroviaro da Beira. He said they had seen the Lalgy Arena Complex in Matola, which hosted the game, was sub-standard and wondered why Eswatini was suffering.

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