Had the roof travelled 20 meters more, it would have hit houses beside the stadium. Still, the extent of damages is surprisingly large, mainly due to constant lack of maintenance of the stadium.

Though the accident occured on Monday night, even within South Africa it only made headlines during the last 24 hours. Storm with strong wind has hit the east of Tshwane, one of 2010 World Cup host cities. Ekangala, one of the easternmost districts of the metropolitan area, saw huge damage done to the local stadium.

With only one grandstand, the Ekangala Stadium has lost literally all of its cantilever roof, which was blown out of the stadium, falling onto the fence and turnstiles behind it. Had it travelled 20 meters more, it could have hit the first houses beside the stadium.

Extent of damage is still being evaluated, but is already considered to be in excess of ZAR 4 million ($300,000).

According to a report by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) from 2012, the stadium was in dire condition, which was likely a major factor leading to such large damage. Main causes of the deterioration was the prolonged lack of maintenance, malicious damage to the property, and normal wear and tear. Less than a third of required maintenance work was carried out in recent years.

© City of Tshwane

© City of Tshwane

© City of Tshwane

© City of Tshwane