adminRay Bande Senior Sports Reporter
NO joy for Sakubva Stadium!
Almost a week before the start of the Castle Lager Premiership season, Sakubva Stadium still lies in a state of derelict, with custodians of the sports facility — Mutare City Council — only managing to use slashers to cut the grass around the environs of the once revered soccer venue.
Several recommendations have been made by the Premier Soccer League secretariat on areas that need renovations around the stadium, but more than three months down the line the advice seems to be falling on deaf ears.
Among the recommendations that were presented to council was that the current changing rooms should be razed down to pave way for the proper construction of new ones.
The perimeter fence was destroyed and hooligans can freely walk onto the field of play while play is in progress.
The turf on the field of play is in a deplorable state and, for lack of better descriptive terms, it is now a typical bull-fighting venue than a 21st century soccer pitch.
PSL head of secretariat Kenny Ndebele this week reiterated that they will have no choice but ban the use of the soccer venue for top-flight league matches if recommendations they made are not addressed.
“I think we made it clear that we will not budge on the issue of match venue standards. If the Mutarte City Council fails to address the issues we raised about the state of the stadium, we will not have any choice but ban the use of the venue. Unfortunately, soccer fans in that city will be on the receiving end,” said Ndebele.
Fans who spoke to this newspaper this week expressed disappointment over the continued reluctance by the local authority to renovate the Mutare soccer venue.
Crafton Shiridzinomwa of Sakubva said they would mobilise fellow soccer fans in Mutare to confront the city fathers on the state of the stadium.
“I am personally not happy at all with the state of the stadium and I think it is wise for us as soccer fans in Mutare to mobilise ourselves so we confront the city fathers on the state of the pitch. They are aware of the deplorable state of the stadium and it is a shame that they choose to continue looting while ignoring the very key result areas that we put them in office for.
“We are aware that the economy is not performing well, but council is getting revenue from different sources from which they can spare a little to finance the renovations at Sakubva,” he said.
Godfrey Chitaka, who also resides in the same suburb, said the cost of travelling to distant places to watch their favourite sport was painful in these harsh economic conditions.
“All along we were complaining about the $3 being charged to watch Premiership matches and it appears we will now have to budget much more in order for us to travel to other stadia to watch top-flight league matches.
“Apart from the costs that we will incur in travelling to faraway places to watch matches, it is disheartening to note that the local authority is folding its hands and watching while the stadium is in an appalling state,” said Chitaka.
Another soccer fan, Chetai Mapara, said it was painful for people in Mutare to see Sakubva Stadium deteriorate to current standards when the local authority was collecting levies from those who use the venue for different functions.
“The most painful thing for us as residents is that the stadium is used by different members of society from schools, churches and sporting teams and all these pay levies for using the facility. Where is the money they are paying going? Is it not supposed to be the money that should be used to renovate the stadium?
“Since council started receiving levies for the stadium, we should be talking of bucket seats and other advanced renovations now, but what we have are neglected structures. It is sad,” he said.
The Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs, Mandi Chimene, has also bemoaned the poor state of Sakubva Stadium and called on diamond-mining companies to chip in and help renovate it.
Despite being a source of revenue to Mutare City Council, the city fathers appear to have not prioritised its renovations, leaving soccer fans in a fix as they may be forced to travel to Rusape to watch their home team Buffaloes play there.
Every year, Sakubva Stadium is condemned by PSL.
Although Mutare mayor Tatenda Nhamarare once said the stadium will undergo comprehensive renovations, it has not materialised.
Contacted for comment this week, Town Clerk Obert Muzawazi said he was in a meeting for the greater part of Wednesday morning until his mobile went unreachable in the afternoon.
Online Reporter