Rufaro commissioning fails to take place

Eddie Chikamhi, Harare Bureau

THE hurried commissioning of Rufaro Stadium by Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume turned out to be a non-event yesterday after the ceremony was cancelled at the last minute as refurbishments at the facility are still a long way from being complete. 

Rufaro, which has been under reconstruction in the last five months, was set to be re-opened by the Council officials yesterday.

But by the time guests had gathered, Council workers were still busy working on dressing rooms, toilets, clearing debris and attending to other facilities which were less than 50 percent complete on the day the local authority had committed to handing over the stadium to football authorities. 

Observers expressed serious reservations as a tour of the facility revealed that most of the structures inside of the stadium were still underdone. 

It also turned out the Harare City officials did not follow laid down procedures consistent with local by-laws governing projects such as the construction of public infrastructure like stadiums, which fall under the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation. 

The local authority, which under the constitution reports to the Provincial Government, was supposed also to engage all the stakeholders to ensure that standards were followed. 

Instead, Harare chose to go it alone. 

Secretary of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Harare Metropolitan Province, Tafadzwa Muguti, yesterday said Central Government has an intention to make sure that all local stadiums, including Rufaro, are built to the highest standard and this determination and the contribution of the state has not been considered by Harare City. 

As such, the proposed commissioning turned out to be a non-event. The officials and invited guests were turned away by the law enforcement agencies before the event had started. 

“Government’s position is very clear. We have an inter-ministerial task-force which looks at the up-keep and the maintenance of stadiums, including the design and the construction of public infrastructure and all local authorities are supposed to work within this structure,” said Muguti. 

“The City of Harare was advised through my office last month to please ensure that if they are building Rufaro or are renovating Rufaro they stand guided through the Ministry of Youth Sport, Arts and Recreation. 

“Through Honourable Kirsty Coventry, as well as the Sports and Recreation Commission, they are the ones who oversee (issues of stadiums and sports amenities). 

“So as it is, building or renovating a stadium is not a one man’s job. It’s a collective effort of all stakeholders. Consulting with Zifa or PSL is not enough. It needs to be certified and the certification is under the jurisdiction of the ministry, and this has since been communicated. 

“This City of Harare since it embarked on this massive and quite appreciative motive to renovate Rufaro Stadium they did a fundamental mistake that they have been working by themselves. 

“They have not been checking for the standards with all the other stakeholders. Up until now there has not been any other Government arm that has been involved in the renovation of Rufaro except for the mayor’s office and the town clerk’s office and as it is the health, safety and security concerns that may be raised by other arms of Government need to be addressed.” 

Muguti said they have engaged the Harare authorities but to no avail. 

“I have had extensive discussions with the mayor that they need to form a committee and to allow other Government departments to visit Rufaro Stadium and be able to stand guided on some of the things that they need to do. 

“Essentially, there is no politics involved but this is something that we have written to them over and over. I have met with the town clerk on several occasions and we have made the position clear. 

“Zimbabwe is not built in isolation, neither will our local authorities be built in isolation. The sense of accountability is on our shoulders. Should there be an accident today of some of safety challenges, the general public will point fingers at the Government. 

“The whole of Government therefore needs to work together, as well as with the City of Harare and everyone to ensure that our sports facilities meet the recommended standards,” said Muguti. 

This comes as President Mnangagwa has stressed the need to spruce up the local stadiums. 

“As we are all aware Zimbabwean football has been under suspension by Fifa for a year or so and the great news is that we are now back to playing international football and as such we are not going to compromise. 

“Our stadiums need to be built to the international best standards and this to the National Sports Stadium, which will also go through it’s processes. 

“We need to revamp Gwanzura Stadium, Chibuku Stadium, all the stadiums in the country needs to meet international standards and I am happy that the City of Harare has seen it fit to meet such standards but once again you cannot be the builder and the certifier of your own project especially if it is public infrastructure,” said Muguti. 

Despite the hurried bid by the Harare Mayor to commission Rufaro, the stadium has not been homologated by the Zifa First Instance Board (FIB) and will not be sanctioned to host any PSL games until it passes the test. 

Harare City sources also indicated that there has been no technical inspection done by the municipal engineers themselves amid revelations that it has turned out to be a political game.

Acting Zifa secretary Xolisani Gwesela on Wednesday wrote to Harare town clerk Engineer Chisango advising him that Rufaro will not host any Premier League matches until the football authorities inspect the facility and approves its use. 

“The Zimbabwe Football Association has learnt through media reports of the commissioning of Rufaro Stadium slated for 10 August 2023. 

“Zifa would like to categorically state that the stadium is still not homologated to host any Premier Soccer League matches. 

“The council is advised to ensure that the stadium is inspected before hosting any topflight league matches. As we await your feedback, please dear Town Clerk accept our sincere and warmest regards,” wrote Gwesela.

Rufaro has been closed for the past four years due to lack of maintenance and inefficiency in the running of the facility by the Harare City Council.

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