{"id":3619,"date":"2025-04-25T15:47:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T13:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=3619"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:41:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:41:15","slug":"giant-stadium-in-soshanguve-to-be-renamed-in-honour-of-local-football-icon-amos-mkhari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/giant-stadium-in-soshanguve-to-be-renamed-in-honour-of-local-football-icon-amos-mkhari\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant Stadium in Soshanguve to Be Renamed in Honour of Local Football Icon Amos Mkhari"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The City of Tshwane has confirmed that Soshanguve\u2019s Giant Stadium will soon be renamed the <em>Amos Mkhari Stadium<\/em>. This is in tribute to the legendary footballer who left a lasting mark on the local and national football scene. The city council formally approved this decision following a proposal initiated by the Soshanguve Heritage Foundation in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-geographical-names-policy-supports-the-change\"><strong>Geographical Names Policy Supports the Change<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sarah Mabotsa, Tshwane\u2019s MMC for Economic Development and Spatial Planning, announced the council\u2019s endorsement of the renaming. The change aligns with the city\u2019s 2023 geographical names policy. The policy enables the renaming of municipal-owned landmarks to honour late individuals who made significant contributions to society. It also aims to promote community heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis renaming is about recognising remarkable lives and promoting a shared identity and pride among our people,\u201d Mabotsa said. She expressed gratitude towards the Soshanguve Heritage Foundation for their ongoing commitment to honouring the city\u2019s heroes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-4213220574\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-community-and-family-support-the-initiative\"><strong>Community and Family Support the Initiative<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Public input was encouraged in the renaming process. The Mkhari family gave their blessing to the change, expressing appreciation for the gesture that keeps <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeslive.co.za\/sport\/soccer\/2025-04-25-soshanguves-giant-stadium-to-be-renamed-in-honour-of-amos-mkhari\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amos Mkhari<\/a>\u2019s memory alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-celebrating-the-life-and-career-of-amos-mkhari\"><strong>Celebrating the Life and Career of Amos Mkhari<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Amos Mkhari, affectionately known for his unique passing technique which earned him the nickname \u201cHeel Extension,\u201d was born in Ga-Rankuwa. He began his professional career with Witbank Spurs in 1974 and later joined the prestigious Orlando Pirates in 1978. His creativity and elegance on the pitch captured the hearts of many football lovers until his passing in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza once praised Mkhari\u2019s artistry on the field, stating, \u201cHe played in a manner that reinforced and gave meaning to football being called the beautiful game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-975317799\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-eff-applauds-the-renaming-decision\"><strong>EFF Applauds the Renaming Decision<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The renaming has also been welcomed by various stakeholders, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng. Provincial chairperson Nkululeko Dunga hailed the decision as a fitting tribute. He described Mkhari as a football maestro whose skill and style showcased the creativity rooted in South African football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis move isn\u2019t just symbolic\u2014it\u2019s a beacon of excellence and a tribute to Mkhari\u2019s contribution to the sport and his community,\u201d Dunga said. \u201cThe newly named Amos Chando Mkhari Stadium will serve as a reminder of the values of hard work, resilience and unity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This historic renaming marks a meaningful step in preserving our country\u2019s sporting heritage. It offers young athletes and locals a renewed sense of pride and inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also read<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/africas-giant-arenas-the-top-10-biggest-football-stadiums-across-the-continent\/\">Africa\u2019s Giant Arenas: The Top 10 Biggest Football Stadiums Across the Continent<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The City of Tshwane has confirmed that Soshanguve\u2019s Giant Stadium will soon be renamed the Amos Mkhari Stadium. This is in tribute to the legendary footballer who left a lasting mark on the local and national football scene. The city council formally approved this decision following a proposal initiated by the Soshanguve Heritage Foundation in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3626,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"The City of Tshwane has confirmed that Soshanguve\u2019s Giant Stadium will soon be renamed the Amos Mkhari Stadium. This is in tribute to the legendary footballer...","footnotes":""},"categories":[59,56,64],"tags":[288],"class_list":{"0":"post-3619","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"category-sports","9":"category-sports-news","10":"tag-soccer"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3619"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3628,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3619\/revisions\/3628"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}