Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, [email protected]
AUTHORITIES have expressed strong confidence that the first domestic class games will be played at the Mosi Oa Tunya Cricket Oval in August, with the state-of-the-art facility now just above 80 percent complete and the centre wicket nearing finality at about 90 percent.
President Mnangagwa laid the foundation stone to mark the commencement of works on the construction of the giant Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls in May 2024.
He told delegates then that the project dovetails with the Second Republic’s quest to broaden the tourism products and integrate the development of the Masuwe Special Economic Zone through promoting sports tourism.
An integrated tourism resort model is being developed around the stadium to include a central business district, medical tourism facility, golf estate, tourism school and conference facilities, among others.
This was after Zimbabwe Cricket was allocated 10 hectares of land for the construction of an international cricket stadium and ancillary facilities, estimated to cost between US$5 million and US$10 million.
As Zimbabwe readies to jointly host the 2027 Cricket World Cup with South Africa and Namibia, the new Mecca is expected to contribute towards the US$5 billion Tourism and Hospitality Industry target, as well as the development and expansion of sports infrastructure in the country.
President Mnangagwa has stated that the multi-purpose sporting infrastructure consolidates the Government’s devolution agenda to bring about multi-pronged development initiatives that leave no one and no place behind.
“It is my great honour to officiate at this special occasion to lay the foundation stone for the Zimbabwe Cricket multi-purpose sporting infrastructure, anchored by an International Cricket Stadium, among other facilities,” said during the ground-breaking event.
“The project dovetails with my administration’s quest to comprehensively broaden the tourism products and integrate the development of the Masuwe Special Economic Zone through promoting sports tourism within our premium resort city of Victoria Falls.
“This project, here in Victoria Falls, is most welcome as it will enhance the rich natural heritage associated with our premier resort city.”
Under the “Integrated Tourism Resort” initiative, President Mnangagwa has said sustainable tourism will be promoted in line with the United Nations Tourism ethos.
As such, the diverse tourism business facilities in the resort town are expected to blend with the natural environment.
A tour of the Victoria Falls project on Saturday revealed a hive of activity where, what was once a degraded sand poaching site, has been transformed into a lush, green sporting precinct.
The stadium has seen most of its major facilities take shape, with brickwork now complete for the grandstands, media centres, players’ pavilion, and doping and medical centre.
Contractors are now focusing on roofing and final finishing touches ahead of the impending deadlines. The tour was led by a high-level delegation including the Ministry of Sports and Recreation Permanent Secretary, Mr Nicholas Moyo, and Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) Board chairman, Mr Tavengwa Mkhuhlane.
The officials walked the grounds, inspecting the progress and expressing excitement at the venue’s potential to host international cricket, including the 2027 World Cup, which Zimbabwe is co-hosting with Namibia and South Africa.
Mr Moyo expressed his delight over the dramatic reclamation of the land, contrasting its current state with its recent history as an environmental eyesore.
“When one looks at the Mosi Oa Tunya Cricket Oval, which is this facility that is being done by Zimbabwe Cricket, one looks and says, by the way, this was an open space,” he said.
“This was highly damaged, where people came here and took sand, pit sand, river sand, and it was also a place where animals came. It was a drinking hole for a lot of animals,” Mr Moyo said.
He praised Zimbabwe Cricket for its rapid execution, saying the project stands as a benchmark for other sports federations in the country.
“When the Hwange Rural District Council then extended this facility to Zimbabwe Cricket you see the work, the amount of work that has been done here and as a country and as a ministry we look and congratulate Zimbabwe Cricket because in just under 24 months they have turned around this facility, they have turned around this bush to become something that we can be proud of,” he said.
Mr Moyo credited the visionary leadership of both Zimbabwe Cricket and President Mnangagwa, who officiated the groundbreaking in May 2024.
He emphasised that the facility will help unearth talent from the surrounding rural schools.
“This is driving towards ensuring that our athletes at the end of the day will start having resources that speak to the vision of 2030 towards an empowered upper middle income society,” said Mr Moyo.
Zimbabwe Cricket board chairman Mr Tavengwa Mkhuhlane provided a detailed breakdown of the construction milestones, assuring stakeholders that the venue will
