Online Reporter
Diana Nherera in Norton
NORTON Town secretary Mr Kizito Muhomba said the renovation of Ngoni Stadium is progressing well.
Speaking at the 294th Ordinary Council meeting held this morning, Mr Kizito Muhomba said the donor, MWOS FC submitted all required documents to the council.
“Several site visits were conducted during the month. On Monday, April 21, 2025, Ngoni Stadium hosted a match between MWOS FC and Dynamos FC, marking a significant event for the generality and the community of Norton,” he said.
Mr Muhomba said council received half of the revenue generated from the event (US$1 535), which was exceeding higher than the US$250 that they had budgeted for ground hiring fee.
He said MWOS is in the process of constructing stalls for vendors as per their request.
“Issues regarding the lease of the stadium were referred to management, which is yet to convene,” said Mr Muhomba.
Councillors inquired whether council engineers had checked and repaired the steel grandstands at the stadium, which were shaking during the match against Dynamos and MWOS.
Engineer Bester Maramba said they were not involved in the project due to the way the project was structured.
“For council, it wasn’t a normal project where we are involved from inception, such that we can comment on what is taking place and the progress,” she said.
“I saw that the director of housing wrote to them raising that issue so that they can attend to what was raised by other stakeholders regarding the stadium,” she said.
Norton mayor Cllr Action Mataruse told Mr Muhomba to call MWOS and engage them together with council engineers on the issue so that it is attended to.
Mr Muhomba said he would arrange a meeting between MWOS’s and the council’s engineers.
“If they have a certified and qualified engineer to certify the structural works that they have done, they should assure us of the situation,” he said.
“But where structures are involved, the person responsible for the project is the one who should look for the certified engineer to certify the works, even if our engineers are there.”
Eng Bore said the issue of the shaking of the grandstands is not something outside the norm.
“That type of grandstand is supposed to shake. There are other stadiums that shake even more than that.
“Their engineer submitted the structural certificate. But we have also advised the engineer to attend to those issues.”
Other Councillors said there is need to bring in external assessors together with the engineers who built the stadium and those who approved it from the Premier Soccer League.
Mr Muhomba said public scepticism should not be ignored.
“We should take the concerns seriously because we are talking about people’s safety,” he said.
“Where you feel things should be improved, let’s improve. If we should engage the Institute of Engineers, let’s engage them.”
