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Mukudzei Chingwere
Harare Bureau
GOVERNMENT has decried Harare City Council’s failure and ineptitude that has seen them failing to service and maintain football stadia, particularly the ceremonial home of Zimbabwean football-Rufaro Stadium, resulting in the country’s most successful football club, Dynamos, relocating to Bulawayo.
Dynamos prefer Rufaro Stadium for their home matches – a venue where they have recorded unrivalled success since the their formation in 1963. In cases where Rufaro is not available, the club has over the years opted for either the National Sports Stadium across town or Gwanzura Stadium.
However, this time they have been forced to take an unprecedented move and relocate their home matches more than 400km away from their favourite hunting ground after Harare City Council reneged on several promises to get the stadium ready to host top-flight football.
Most of these broken timelines and promises to get the stadium ready were made by the Harare Mayor himself, Mr Jacob Mafume.
Addressing thousands of ruling party supporters who thronged Mbare Netball Complex open space in Harare yesterday, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said the electorate must rescue itself from the inefficient Harare City Council by voting for President Mnangagwa and the ruling Zanu PF party’s council and parliamentary candidates in harmonised elections slated for August 3.
“Speaking of football, some of you are ardent sports lovers Now you are forced to travel all the way to Babourfields Stadium in Bulawayo to watch your team Dynamos,” said the VP amid applause from the approving crowd.
“This is a result of Council which has failed to maintain and service Rufaro Stadium. This disheartens us a lot in Zanu PF because as Government we encourage sports and leisure.
“People would have spent their days hard at work. Sometimes they have a lot on their minds troubling them; they need to watch football to recreate and relax,” said VP Chiwenga.
In the absence of Rufaro, Dynamos and the rest of other top-flight Harare-based teams including, Caps United Yadah FC, Black Rhinos, Herentals and Cranborne Bullets, had been crammed into the National Sports Stadium for home matches at the beginning of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season.
However, the turf at the giant stadium just could not cope with incessant use, leading to its failure to meet homologation standards as set by the football governing body – Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA).
Under the Second Republic, sports development is a key development agent as Government looks at pulling all stops to promote youths and their respective areas of excellence.
Online Reporter