Online Reporter
BULAWAYO mayor, David Coltart is facing one of his biggest sporting tests since assuming the hot seat.
Coltart has been a consistent critic of Zimbabwe Cricket for the past two decades and in one of his fights, he has been critical of ZC for not allocating sufficient top teams and matches to Bulawayo.
Even when there have been allocations of international matches to Queens Sports Club, Coltart would at times criticise the choices, especially if the game’s heavyweights are seemingly confined to Harare while the lesser teams get the Bulawayo tours.
So, when ZC put historic Test matches against New Zealand and South Africa at Queens Sports Club in July/August this year, it was a very big decision that the fierce critic had to applaud.
However, Coltart was back as a critic once a poster for a musical concert at Queens Sports Club and scheduled for later this month emerged on social media.
Coltart felt ZC were being negligent and reckless in staging the musical concert at such a prestigious sporting venue in Bulawayo.
However, it was not the case.
Dubbed “Shutdown Concert”, the musical gig was actually approved by the Queens Sports Club board which said they had the right to do so despite Zimbabwe Cricket having a lease agreement for the facility.
The Queens Sports Club board says ZC is paying them peanuts and they need to generate more income from other sources and the musical concert is one such option for them.
ZC later issued a public statement distancing themselves from the music concert and threatening to sue the organisers of the event.
In response, the Queens Sports Club board is adamant the show will go ahead as advertised because they have the final say.
The ground is owned by the Bulawayo City Council, which Coltart heads and Queens Sports Club has a lease until 2051.
Now that the matter might be beyond ZC, the ball is firmly in Coltart’s court as mayor of Bulawayo, the owners of Queens Sports Club.
He now has to be exemplary and do exactly what he expected of ZC before realising that it was actually the Queens Sports Club board that sanctioned a music concert at a precious cricket venue.
The venue will play a big part in Bulawayo’s tourism over the next couple of years as it has been earmarked for some of the matches in the 2026 Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup and 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
What lies ahead in terms of sports tourism is bigger than any musical concert and the Bulawayo City Council has to make tough decisions to ensure that the two major events do not bypass the second capital.
Coltart has said he will ensure that the Shutdown Concert is removed from Queens Sports Club, and he has publicly invited the organisers to look at plenty other Bulawayo venues, which can stage the event.
He has our support.
