Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba has explained why the province decided to part with R4.7 million to host Bafana Bafana against Lesotho at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday, 21 March.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has kept its word to take the senior national team, Bafana Bafana, across the country, but it doesn’t come cheap.

However, Dr Ramathuba has insisted that it would be worthwhile for the province to host a match of this magnitude, which is a FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifier.

“So, this is how we are partnering. The R4.7 million, we have broken it down in terms of the donation-in-kind that we are providing to SAFA,” confirmed the Premier during a media briefing at the stadium on Monday evening.

“You know how it goes; they will be saying, ‘They can’t fix a street light, but they have given money to SAFA.’. The whole point of this great initiative will benefit the province (from a tourism perspective).”

The last time Bafana Bafana played in Polokwane was when they hosted Senegal at the same venue in 2016, when Bafana Bafana were vying to qualify for the FIFA 2018 World Cup, and failed.

In recent times, Bafana Bafana have played in packed stadiums in Mangaung, Gqeberha, and Cape Town, and next up is Limpopo’s capital, Polokwane.

Meanwhile, the Polokwane Municipality has allayed any fears regarding the state of the pitch at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium.

The pitch was left in ruins when popular musician Makhadzi hosted her “One Woman Show” on 21 December, but the Municipality has been hard at work behind-the-scenes to fix the damage.

Since December, the New Peter Mokaba Stadium has not hosted a football match, with the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium seeing most of the action, while the Seshego Stadium, which underwent renovations, has hosted Premier Soccer League (PSL) side Magesi FC on two occasions after the stadium was approved by the League.