Fresh twist in Pitso Ground dispute

Leemisa Thuseho

THE long-running dispute over the ownership of Pitso Ground between Matlama FC and the Maseru City Council (MCC) appears far from over after the club questioned the legitimacy of a piece of land offered by the council as compensation.

Matlama and the MCC have been embroiled in the dispute for several years. The club maintains that it has been using Pitso Ground since its establishment in 1932 and continued to do so after Lesotho attained independence in 1966. However, the ground is currently leased by the MCC, which acquired the lease in 1994.

Matlama argues that the lease was unlawfully obtained and insists that it is the rightful owner of the property.

According to the club, the government relocated it from Aston Flats to Pitso Ground many years ago, although no formal documents were signed to formalise the move. It was only later that the club discovered that the MCC had secured a lease for the ground in 1994.

Following lengthy negotiations, it became apparent that the MCC was not prepared to hand over Pitso Ground to Matlama. Instead, both parties began exploring the possibility of compensating the club with an alternative piece of land.

MCC spokesperson Lintle Bless recently reiterated that handing over Pitso Ground would not be easy because it is regarded as a historical national monument.

“The history of that ground is significant. It is a historical monument and that automatically makes it a national asset which must be preserved,” Bless previously told the Lesotho Times.

In the latest development, the Lesotho Times has established that the MCC proposed allocating Matlama a piece of land in Lepereng, Maseru. However, the club was surprised to discover that the land belongs to the Ministry of Sports.

The site is the same location where former sports minister Mahali Phamotse had proposed constructing a 40,000-seat stadium and a multi-purpose indoor sports complex. The ambitious project never materialised after being plagued by funding challenges and controversy.

Matlama secretary-general Thabang Letsie confirmed that representatives of the club, the MCC, through Town Clerk Moea Makhakhe, and Stadium Area Member of Parliament Mampho Tjabane recently visited the proposed site.

“Matlama representatives and the MP for Stadium Area were taken to a site in Lepereng where the Town Clerk encircled a surveyed piece of land. We were told that it was the same place where former sports minister, ‘Me Mahali (Phamotse), had attempted to build a sporting complex some years ago,” Letsie said.

“Afterwards, we were informed that neither the Mayor nor the Town Clerk had the authority to allocate the land to Matlama. Instead, the club would have to submit a formal request to the ministry that owns the property.”

Letsie said the club subsequently approached the Land Administration Authority (LAA), where officials confirmed that the land belongs to the Ministry of Sports following the separation of the former Ministry of Education and Sports.

“What is giving us a headache is why the MCC is attempting to give us land that is no longer under its control while asking us to apply for it ourselves from the relevant ministry,” he said.

He added that Matlama has since written to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship Affairs seeking clarification over the ownership of the land, but the club is still awaiting a response.

Meanwhile, the club was dealt another blow earlier this week after arriving at Pitso Ground for training only to discover that the MCC had begun upgrading the facility without informing them.

As a result, Matlama was left without a training venue.

“To our surprise, when the team arrived at the ground on Monday, we discovered that the MCC had started upgrading the facility and we had nowhere to train,” Letsie said.

“We approached the Lesotho Football Association hoping to use one of its grounds, but none was available.”

The Lesotho Times understands that the team has since moved its training sessions to the Lesotho Co-operative College grounds near Setsoto Stadium.

Letsie said the club has also asked Stadium Area legislator, ‘Mampho Tjabane, to raise the matter in Parliament in a bid to seek clarity on when Matlama’s concerns will be addressed.

Depending on the government’s response, the club will decide on its next course of action.

He reiterated that legal action remains one of the options available to Matlama should efforts to resolve the matter fail.

For its part, the MCC said the ongoing upgrading project at Pitso Ground will transform the facility into a complex featuring two playing fields capable of accommodating about 3,000 spectators.

The project will also include the renovation of Pitso House and the construction of a perimeter wall around the facility.

“The MCC is constructing two new playing grounds, upgrading Pitso House and erecting a wall around the facility,” the council said.

“The perimeter wall will also accommodate 40 stalls for street vendors.”

The MCC said the project is being funded through the government grants as well as revenue collected from residents for municipal services.

The post Fresh twist in Pitso Ground dispute appeared first on Lesotho Times.