Motsepe dreams of a stadium in Mamelodi
Published
By Mathews Mpete
Maybe it's just a gleam in his eye at this stage, but mining magnate and Mamelodi Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe on Thursday mooted a plan to build a state-of-the-art stadium for the club, preferably in Mamelodi, ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
He said Sundowns, whose fan base is in Mamelodi but its head office awkwardly in Midrand, deserves to have a stadium of its own (as Chiefs and Pirates do).
He initially toyed with the idea of HM Pitje Stadium in Mamelodi, but it's not for sale as the Tshwane Municipality regards it as "strictly the property of the community".
The billionaire said: "I'm still engaged in talks with the municipality. I'm sure they'll soon shed some light on a venue where we can get our own place.
"I need a stadium that is within the township of Mamelodi because this is where the club originated, under Zola Mahobe."
He sees Downs' Chloorkop facility as a centre for the Youth Academy.