Vusumuzi Dube
Lovemore Dube
BULAWAYO was this week left counting the losses as its weekend economy was robbed of the Harare Derby.
Dynamos FC were set to play host to Caps United in the city in a Castle Lager Premiership clash this afternoon.
But on Monday Dynamos wrote to the authorities to find out whether the National Sports Stadium which has held two national events is available for use.
DeMbare got an all clear and quickly requested that their biggest match of the second round of the PSL race be played in the capital.
Dynamos were using Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo as their home ground and decent crowds were attending.
But the overheads associated with travelling out of Harare for the match were too high with close to US$8 000 spent. However, the move back to Harare and the subsequent silence by the “would be” host city speaks volumes of the lack of appreciation of sports tourism.
It would appear Zimbabweans still look at football as recreation and turn a blind eye to the local game being part of a multi-billion dollar ecosystem.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority regional manager Novuyo Mathonsi says the return to the National Sports Stadium of Dynamos FC will affect the Bulawayo’s tourism earnings.
Rufaro Stadium was closed to Harare clubs as a new surface was laid and ablution facilities and dressing rooms attended to, to make the facility better. With health worries owing to the poor state of ablution facilities and water amid a cholera scare, the National Sports Stadium was shut in June leaving eight clubs in the Premier Soccer League to seek refuge in Ngezi, Bulawayo, Gweru and Zvishavane.
While the Harare clubs were paying a fortune through transport, accommodation and other logistics associated with playing away from home, the economies of cities and towns where the clubs switched to benefitted.
Mathonsi said: “As tourism we are really saddened by the decision taken by Caps United and Dynamos not to play their match here in Bulawayo, we had seen the uptake for accommodation increasing.”
Dynamos’ temporary relocation to Bulawayo had seen an improvement of regular weekend tourists on the domestic scene.
A number of service providers were also benefiting from the Dynamos matches in Bulawayo.
Tourism, Mrs Mathonsi said was winning as people tended to look beyond soccer when they visited on weekends.
“People who come to these matches bring children who visit our tourist attractions. All these contributed to tourism figures, we had seen a marked increase in the financials,” said Mathonsi.
Jabulani Moyo, an ardent Kaizer Chiefs supporter who stays in Mpumalanga in South Africa said it was unfortunate that Bulawayo people did not see the business aspect of Dynamos playing in Bulawayo and that the derby was going to be a big pull factor for people to visit Bulawayo.
“We are still lacking behind as Zimbabwe. We don’t see beyond what we are seeing. The Bulawayo City Council to incentivise Dynamos should have reduced its share of the big match take home, hotels and other service providers also coming on board with incentives on lower room rates, car hire and other services that thousands flocking to Bulawayo for the game would support. The city was going to be abuzz with sports tourists who could someday come back on their own to explore business opportunities or to visit tourist attractions that Bulawayo boasts of,” said Moyo.
He gave an example of the Durban Metropolitan that has a relationship with Kaizer Chiefs.
Chiefs are a Johannesburg-based football team with the best following in South Africa.
“Kaizer Chiefs has had relationships with Metropolitan Councils of Polokwane, Cape Town and Durban.
They have played in Mpumalanga, courtesy of the local authorities. They bring thousands of supporters and that boosts the economy. So many service providers benefit before, on the day and after the match.
These are benefits from football events. This could be food for thought for our councils to work on their stadia and entice teams working with corporates to bring top-notch entertainment,” said Moyo.
Over 25 000 supporters provide for a sea of black and gold when Kaizer Chiefs descend on a venue at any given time when they are not in Johannesburg drawn from as far as Western Cape, Eastern Cape, North West and Limpopo provinces. Also benefitting are businesses along the corridors Chiefs travel on.
Dynamos supporters Bruce Munyoro while excited that it is back home for his club, he is counting the losses.
“My shop had become one of the go to places in Bulawayo with hordes of supporters popping in on match days. Bulawayo was coming alive and we were enjoying hosting the club and watching them regularly here.
“It’s not just the fixture taken back home but Bulawayo was benefitting from sports tourism. People were not heading to stadia from outside Bulawayo but were also partaking in other activities and required a variety of services. Business wise it’s quite a loss and we should explore what teams like Kaizer Chiefs do. We should have Kwekwe or Kadoma improving facilities and council partnering business organisations to bring some of the matches,” said Munyoro.
Munyoro bemoaned the failure by hotels and Bulawayo City Council to smell the coffee. He said other local authorities needed to emulate the Kaizer Chiefs example and challenged the tourism sector to introduce incentives.
“By now we should be having what are called sports rates at hotels and lodges. Traveling teams anywhere in the country must have special rates for the role they play in advertising the hotels and other services.”
Radio personality Felix Matsikidze described the derby being taken to Harare as a big loss to the Bulawayo economy.
The administrations of the Harare teams can now celebrate that they will be reduced travel costs as they will be able to use National Sports Stadium.
Others felt the move will lessen the pressure on Barbourfields Stadium and allow the turf to mature.
Those in the football spiritual world felt that it was good that Barbourfields Stadium will return to being exclusively for Bosso use in the absence of international football.
Online Reporter