Online Reporter
Don Makanyanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
GOVERNMENT has reiterated its commitment to building new sport infrastructure and rekindle those already in existence and is ready to partner with private players in the country’s sport development.
The Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Anslem Sanyatwe said the government is embarking on sports infrastructure development, which has seen the country’s facility — the National Sports Stadium — undergo massive renovations and is expected to be re-opened in the first quarter of the year.
Sanyatwe welcomed the involvement of private partners as part of the Government’s drive towards improving the country’s sporting infrastructure.
Speaking on the sidelines of a tour to assess Zimbabwe’s preparedness to host the ICC Under-19 World Cup, Sanyatwe called on individuals and companies to support the Government in its effort to improve the country’s sporting infrastructure.
“We are not only considering what the Government is doing but we are also collaborating with individuals and companies with the love of sport to chip in and construct multi-purpose or state-of-the-art stadiums.
“Other than waiting for the Government to provide the facilities, we also encourage those with the resources to assist in the construction of sporting facilities throughout the whole country,” he said.
The Minister also praised the efforts being made by some individuals who include Kwekwe businessman Shepherd Chahwanda and his partner Prophet Walter Magaya and Mabvuku-Tafara Member of Parliament, Pedzai “Scott” Sakupwanya.
The duo of Magaya and Chahwanda have been spearheading the construction of a state-of-the-art 10 000-seater Chahwanda Stadium in the Midlands city of Kwekwe.
Sakupwanya is in the process of building a sports complex in Ruwa.
The modern facility consists of accommodation for senior team players and academy players, a training pitch, a match-day pitch, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a world-class restaurant, a gym, and a conference centre.
“We are looking forward to a stadium in Kwekwe which is almost 95–97 percent complete and to be commissioned in the near future. The facility is being constructed by Prophet Walter Magaya.
“We have another facility that is coming up in Ruwa which is being constructed by Honourable Scott Sakupwanya.
“I visited the facility. The grounds for the B-Arena are now operational, the hotel facilities are all up and players are now being accommodated there.
“What now remains is the main stadium, the construction of which, I am informed, will commence very shortly with the support of consultants from Liverpool.
“This is the way we must proceed as we move into the future. Besides waiting for the government to provide the facilities, we encourage those with resources to assist in the construction of sporting facilities throughout the whole country,” said Sanyatwe.
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