Police lock up Rufaro 

Source: Police lock up Rufaro -Newsday Zimbabwe

BATON-WIELDING police officers yesterday sealed off Rufaro Stadium and barred Harare mayor Jacob Mafume from officially commissioning the facility which was shut down last year for a major facelift.

Rufaro, which last hosted local league matches back in 2019, has been undergoing rehabilitation since last year after energy giant Sakunda Holdings pulled out of a deal to renovate it to international standards.

Harare City Council then went solo in the rehabilitation programme, and missing several deadlines in the process amid reports that government was throwing spanners in the works for political expediency.

On Wednesday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa told a Zanu PF campaign rally in the capital that his government was ready to spruce up Rufaro and other stadia so that Castle Lager Premier Soccer League giants Dynamos can use it to host matches. DeMbare are using Barbourfields as its home ground.

Yesterday, it looked like everything was set for the commissioning before the police descended to bar guests from entering the stadium, claiming that the event had been cancelled.

They later entered the stadium, drove everyone out except construction workers.

Mafume said the order had come from police officer commanding Mbare district, Chief Superintendent Johannes Mafoko.

“The regulatory authority (police) says it has received some intelligence which was not disclosed to us which necessitated that we do not proceed. As a law-abiding council and citizens, we acquiesced to that order. In fact, we didn’t acquiesce, but we were ordered as it were. We have no reason not to comply. By regulatory authority, I mean officer commanding Mbare district by the name Mafoko,” Mafume told journalists at Rufaro Stadium.

“Today, we were going to present the stadium to the citizens of Harare and other stakeholders and tell them that the stadium, pending the adjustments that they were going to make us do, is now ready for use. We were going to agree with the Premier Soccer League so that the final certification is done and then the games begin.

“We were going to enter into preliminary discussions with Dynamos and Caps United for the leasing of the stadium. They did write letters to my office saying that they would require to use the stadium for 10 years and that they would also want some shops and also to do certain activities like fun days at the place so that we attract the sporting public. That is what we intended to do, but we were stopped in our tracks by the regulatory authority.

“I will urge PSL and all other stakeholders to go and inquire from the regulatory authority as to why we were stopped and when they are ready to have us do the ceremony and we will be willing to do so,” he said.

Zifa normalisation committee chairperson Lincoln Mutasa as well as officials from Dynamos and Caps United were some of the guests who had come in for the event.

Mafume also claimed that they had also invited representatives from the Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation ministry.

While a state-of-the-art car park is now complete and the turf is looking lush green, there is still outstanding work in other areas, particularly dressing rooms, ablution facilities as well as electric turnstiles.

According to Mafume, the dugouts as well as 1 000 seats for the VIP section have already been bought by the sponsors, City Parking and Rufaro Marketing.