BNSC and the National Stadium toilet mess

Mqondisi Dube | Monday May 13, 2024 14:58

I deliberately picked the two as in terms of rank at the secretariat and the board respectively, they are the top dogs. While I am dead sure that the two have been to the National Stadium of late, what I am not certain about is if they have used the bathrooms other than those in the VIP section.

If they have not, they might as well take this as an official invitation to visit the facility's bathrooms. I very much doubt if they will be pleased with what they will see. If they will be satisfied, then it’s either their eyesight will have betrayed them or likely its business as usual at the BNSC.

A colleague of mine tells me before last year’s Golden Grand Prix, he took some pictures to capture the deplorable state of bathrooms at the National Stadium. Mind you, this was just days before the crème-la-de-crème of world athletics descended on Gaborone for the inaugural event. Likely, the embarrassment was kept away from the visitors as the VIP toilets are fairly well maintained, in a typical ‘all animals are equal but some are more equal than others’ scenario. I have shied away from using the toilets on the occasion that I am at the National Stadium.

Your guess is as good as mine where I choose to relieve myself. Nothing to be proud of but the authorities have forced people to utilise the nearest open space as a urinary. It's just an eyesore with the strong stench of urine dominating the air and all this takes place just behind the VIP section where likely visitors from other countries take up their seats. But the BNSC appears unbothered or they have turned a blind eye to the stinking situation. May be they think the toilet business is a non-issue. However, it is one of the most important areas that must be kept clean.

Here people are complaining about doing number one; going for number two is completely unfathomable in this case. Just don’t think about it unless if you are the lucky animal that has access to the VIP section. Stadium maintenance should be all encompassing from the general welfare of the turf, the seats, toilets and the entire outlook of the facility.

It is not therefore, surprising that almost all the aspects of the stadium are found wanting, including the turf and the bucket seats. I once visited the King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium, in Umlazi, Durban. It is a small but squeaky clean facility such that you would not puke if you found yourself with your lunch or dinner plate in the bathroom.

I am struggling to understand what makes it difficult to maintain the National Stadium toilets on match days. It should not be a laborious task considering that the facility is used sparingly. The BNSC, as the custodians of this facility, you don’t have to think hard and long about this foul situation. One shudders to think if authorities were going to be able to maintain the added facilities had the country won the right to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals, if taking care of the National Stadium toilets is so much of a headache.