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Michael Magoronga
The state-of-the-art Chahwanda Heart Stadium which is under construction in Kwekwe, is not coming as a remedy to the sporting (football in particular) fraternity only, but is also coming with much needed development and contribution towards the local Provincial Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Located along Kwekwe-Gokwe road, about a kilometer from Harare-Bulawayo Highway, the US$10million stadium is being constructed by PHD Ministries’ founder and leader Prophet Walter Magaya in partnership with his Kwekwe based spiritual son, Shepherd ‘Magodora” Chahwanda.
The 10 000 sitter, according to Prophet Magaya, is a better version of the Harare based Heart Stadium and is expected to be completed by January 2025.
Besides being the home stadium for Hardrock Football Club owned by Mr Chawhanda, the stadium is also expected to be used by other local teams like Kwekwe United which was recently promoted to the Premier Soccer League.
The stadium which is a multi-sports stadium, comprises the Main Arena which has 39 bays, that contain steel grandstands with offices and underground offices, will also have the B Arena which can be used for training sessions.
Other facilities designed include media room, parking area for VIPs, VVIPs and team buses, ablution rooms, change rooms, business lounge, ZIFA Provincial and Regional offices, clinic, restaurant and gym among other modern services.
The stadium will definitely come as a panacea to the shortage of stadia which has not only hit Kwekwe district but the country as a whole.
Kwekwe City Council owned stadia like Mbizo and Amaveni, have been run down and cannot host premier soccer league matches.
Other privately owned stadiums like Bagdad (Lancashire), Torwood and Chrome Stadiums are nothing but mere pale shadows of themselves.
The Chahwanda Stadium is therefore a timely boost especially given that Kwekwe United has brought back premier football action back to the mining town after close to a decade without PSL action.
Hardrock, owned by Chawhanda, will next season ply their trade in Central Region Division 1 after qualifying from D2.
Besides all this, the stadium will create the much needed employment during the construction phase and needed after its completion.
Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony, Kwekwe Mayor, Councilor Albert Zinhanga said the stadium has come at a time when the mining town was yearning for investors.
“This development has come at a time when as Kwekwe we are embracing investment. This is a great achievement especially given that as a local authority things are hard and we cannot maintain our stadiums the way we want,” he said.
Mayor Zinhanga said the development that comes with the construction of the stadium will go a long way in developing the city.
“There will be a lot of complementary investments and that adds to the local GDP. We are therefore embracing, promoting the growth of Kwekwe. Above all, the stadium will create employment which is much needed in every part of the country,” said the Mayor.
Prophet Magaya said the stadium will be an improved version of the Heart Stadium in Harare and will be built in a record time of four months.
“All the material has been purchased and our aim is to complete the construction by January 2025. We are aware that there is gold underneath and we are saying, while mining is taking place underground, we will be playing football on top. The stadium is coming with a whole lot of supporting services like a gym, a restaurant and a school nearby.
“This is not a 90 minutes stadium, we want it to go beyond football, we want to bring solutions beyond the 90 minute of football,” he said.
Prophet Magaya said Chawhanda has been there supporting the construction of other works.
“This is a manifestation of what has been happening in the past when we constructed Heart Stadiums in Harare, Mozambique and Malawi. Chawhanda has been supporting these ventures more than 100percent,” he said.
Prophet Magaya, who is contemplating running for ZIFA presidency in January, said this was a way of bringing football to the central parts of the country.
“We wanted to bring football to the center of the country. After this we will focus on the Eastern Region, and the Southern Regions as we look to spread football across the country,” he said.
He hailed the Second Republic for availing opportunities for investment.
“I want to thank the Second Republic for such opportunities. I want to assure you that we are enjoying the Second Republic that has enabled us to reach this level and in that regard, the construction should be of top quality,” said Prophet Magaya.
Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Owen Ncube who was the guest of honor, said the epic event attests to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s mantra that nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.
“I applaud Mr Chahwanda, Prophet Magaya and their partners for transforming ideas into products and services and illustrating immense ambition, hope, hard work resilience, patriotism and loyalty to His Excellency the President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the development trajectory he pursues that recognizes empowerment and devolution and decentralization of services to all communities guided by the mantra of leaving no one and no place behind,” said Minister Ncube.
He said the development will definitely grow the province’s GDP.
“The Midlands Province greatly appreciates the New Dispensation’s thrust to grow Provincial GDPs by leveraging on comparative advantages as well new opportunities that arise from cross cutting economic drivers like Sport which now ranks amongst the top multi-million dollar industries,” Minister Ncube said.
The project has an impact on sports tourism.
“The impact of this project on sports tourism employment and creation of downstream opportunities like naming rights audio-visual branding, merchandising, advertising compliments similar developments in mining, agriculture, construction, tourism, retail which anchor our provincial GDP government has initiated processes for the construction of a multi-million facility at Chachacha Growth Point and I urge the private sector to consider partnerships for this very important project,” he said.
Minister Ncube urged local authorities, who are drivers of devolution and decentralization at grassroots levels to embrace the ease of doing business to accelerate attainment of a prosperous and empowered upper middle income society as envisaged by the Second Republic.
Online Reporter