The executive mayor of Polokwane Municipality, Cllr Thabo Makunyane, received the key of the newly constructed Peter Mokaba Sport Complex from WHBO & Pauls Contractor during a ceremony held at the stadium on Saturday.

Cllr Makunyane deputised for Premier Cassel Mathale, who was not available to attend the ceremony.

The construction of the stadium, one of the stadiums that will be used for the Fifa World Cup later this year, started in 2007 and took 32 months to complete. The R1,3 billion stadium will not serve for soccer only, but also for rugby matches and other activities, Makunyane said.

According to him, the stadium is a true reflection of an investment for the people of Limpopo and it will bring more well-known sports teams to the area.

The City of Polokwane’s director for the 2010 games, Mr Ndavhe Ramakuwela, shared the same sentiment as Makunyane. “This ceremony marked the closure of a project which we started with enthusiasm in 2007. The completion of the stadium has dispelled all the disbelief about our capacity to execute projects of this magnitude. The Limpopo people stand proud that we have not only delivered a 45 000-seat stadium, but we have provided a state-of-the-art facility equal to none within a 300 km radius of our city.”

The stadium will face its first test tomorrow (Saturday) when Kaizer Chiefs, Supersport United, Wits University and a side from Denmark, Brondby, will participate in the one-day Peter Mokaba Cup Competition.

On January 30, the current Super 14 champions, the Vodacom Bulls, will cross swords with the Lions as part of their pre-season preparations.