Base defended after judo camp gripes

FACILITIES at the Regiment Piet Retief army base in Port Elizabeth have come under fire from some participants in a national judo camp staged there at the weekend.

However, leadership at the base defended the military installation yesterday, brushing aside the attacks against its amenities.

This follows the official start of Judo South Africa’s (JSA’s) annual, week-long national camp at the Humewood base on Friday.

According to JSA leadership, concerns over the facilities surfaced when a handful of athletes arrived at the base prior to the official start of the event and before the facilities had been cleaned and prepared.

The camp accommodated 98 adult athletes until the end of yesterday and will be replaced by 80 judo youths from today.

This led to complaints and photographs being posted on social media and, according to JSA leadership, about four participants eventually left the base as a result.

This in turn, according to JSA, saw members of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, including health officials, becoming involved and visiting the base during the weekend.

There they met Judo SA leadership and the Officer Commanding Regiment Piet Retief Lieutenant-Colonel Vusumzi Mbali.

The main concerns were around initially dirty accommodation facilities, conditions in a food preparation area and that the event was being hosted in a hall with asbestos walls and roof.

JSA president Temba Hlasho said issues had arisen when a small group of people had complained – but stressed that the athletes had arrived at the base prior to the start of the cleanup and the official start of the event.

“The facilities may not be the best available but they were cleaned and are suitable,” he said.

“As far as the asbestos is concerned, there are judo clubs in the country whose own roofs are asbestos.

“The asbestos here is not broken or damaged, the hall has adequate ventilation, [there] is not a threat to health and the facility has been successfully used by other teams.”

JSA treasurer Pierre Maritz said participants had told the leadership they were satisfied with the facilities.

Mbali said yesterday he considered the matter closed after having met municipal officials and the judo organisation at the weekend.

“The meeting ended cordially, with no issues left to discuss,” the commanding officer said, also saying the regiment actively supported community needs, including the provision of facilities for athletes.

Defending the base, however, Mbali said he had taken issue with some of the complaints.

“The food was not cooked here, catered food from outside was brought in,” he said.

“There were insinuations about the mattresses. Are they trying to tell me my soldiers [have] ticks and fleas?”

He said he was aware that asbestos was to be removed from military bases, but by the Department of Public Works. “So we have no control over when it will be removed.”