Polokwane Municipality reacts to Marumo Gallants’ relocation news
The Polokwane Municipality Executive Mayor John Mpe has reacted to the news that Marumo Gallants are relocating away from the City.
The Polokwane Municipality are in charge of the Peter Mokaba Stadium, where Marumo Gallants currently play their home matches. The two parties had a three-year agreement in place. But the relations became sour when Marumo decided to take their match against Kaizer Chiefs to Rustenburg.
As reported by FARPost on Thursday, the club has officially told the players to serve notices of termination of their respective place of residence in Polokwane. The players have been advised to look for places of residence in Pretoria.
There are also claims that the club is set to relocate to Mangaung in the Free State Province.
POLOKWANE MUNICIPALITY RESPONSE
Speaking to FARPost on Friday, Polokwane executive Mayor John Mpe said Marumo could have addressed whatever challenges they had.
“Look, the story of us and Marumo Gallants is well documented. We were not happy about them taking the big game of Chiefs to the North West without engaging us,” he said.
“This is how far we can go to protect the interest of our residents. Remember when the big clubs are coming into town, there are people who are earning a living in those games. But if a person wakes up without engaging us, if they have any challenge.
“They have been using our facilities for a while, and we have always been welcoming. If they had challenges, they were supposed to, at times, talk to us. Loss of revenue for Polokwane and the people of our province is something we will not accept,” added Mpe.
“To be honest, if Marumo Gallants are thinking about leaving the province, we have Sekhukhune United. We can assure the people of Polokwane that the stadium will be in full use, and we will do everything to ensure that there are events.
“We are not worried, but it was only fair to the people of Polokwane that if they had challenges, they were supposed to consult us.”
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