Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation has remained mum on the progress in installing bucket seats at the National Sports Stadium in Harare and Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo.
The two facilities remain on the Caf ‘red zone’ facilities, although there was provisional allowance for the Harare facility to be used.
In September last year Minister Kirsty Coventry assured Senators in Parliament that the process of acquiring bucket seats was in motion, with a tender for the supply having been issued.
In December, her deputy Tino Machakaire told our Harare Bureau that bucket seats should be installed by March 2021 in time for the Warriors’ first Fifa World Cup qualifier against South Africa.
The opener was, however, moved to September as Covid-19 cases sores.
Deputy Minister Machakaire said they initially wanted to import bucket seats from China, but plans were halted by the pandemic, resulting in them going local.
However, there was no joy when Chronicle Sport contacted the Ministry’s permanent secretary on Thursday to inquire about the bucket seats.
Deputy director of communications in the Ministry Rainson Madzamba referred Chronicle Sport to the director of communications Nomusa Mpofu.
She too could not respond to questions and instead referred inquiries back to her deputy.
Last week Caf turned down Zifa’s request to allow a limited number of vaccinated fans for the Warriors’ duel against Ghana, raising the issue of bucket seats, among other reasons.
Online Reporter