Source: The Herald – Breaking news.
TAKING SHAPE . . . Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Minister Kirsty Coventry (right) and her Deputy Emily Jesaya (left) inspect the new turnstile system being installed at the National Sports Stadium yesterday 
Langton Nyakwenda, Zimpapers Sports Hub
REFURBISHMENT of the National Sports Stadium is now expected to gather pace after the government overcame some bottlenecks that were stalling the project.
The 38-year-old giant facility, which last hosted international matches in 2021, is undergoing renovations, thanks to a partnership between the Government and energy giants Sakunda Holdings.
Although the actual deadline for the renovations is not yet fixed, expectations are that the stadium should start hosting international matches before end of the year.
The scope of work includes the installation of bucket seats, an electronic turnstile system, and the repair of the water reticulation system.
Work on the pitch and ablution facilities is also ongoing.
The Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts, and Culture, Kirsty Coventry, toured the facility yesterday to get a hands-on update on the renovations that are being done.
She was accompanied by her deputy, Emily Jesaya, and Permanent Secretary in the Sport Ministry, Nicholas Moyo.
So far, five bays and the VVIP tribune now have bucket seats.
Work on the pitch has started, while gate already has the new electronic turnstile system installed.
“The biggest challenge we faced has just been the financial constraints in terms of the release of the budget and getting that (funds) on time.
“But the Treasury and Finance have been doing a very good job.
“We are also very grateful to the partners that have come and brought in the bucket seats,” said Coventry.
The government has allocated 884 million ZiG towards the refurbishment of the National Sports Stadium, but according to the Minister, there is more work than anticipated that needs to be done before the facility is re-opened.
The Ministry, through the Sports and Recreation Commission, has been working hand in glove with ZIFA, the Confederation of African Football and the world football governing body FIFA.
“Not everything goes to plan, especially when you have a very old stadium.
“You start resurrecting different things, and then you find that the job is actually bigger than what you initially thought.
“But in a way that’s also really positive because we now know exactly what we are working with and what we really need to fix.
“It is a little bit more than what we originally thought. So, that again has slowed the process a little bit because now we are trying to figure out what are the most important things that need to be done with the budgets that we have and that which we have been allocated,” added Coventry.
However, the Minister is generally impressed with the progress made so far.
“You can see the beautiful seats (on some of the bays). All the bucket seats are now here.
“There’s some good work being done with the pitch. Good to know that the bottom part of the pitch is still good.
“So, it’s just the top half that we need to renovate and resurrect.
“So, that’s some really good news.”
After getting a brief from engineers from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Coventry is now aware of the mammoth task of getting the water reticulation back up to speed.
“Water reticulation, I think there was a lot more damage than we expected.
“So, all the pipes have now been removed, and work is going on there. And then, yeah, they have shown me a few other bits and pieces that we have noticed as we have been doing the different renovations that we’ll now adjust and fix as well.”
Work on the new turnstiles is expected to be done “in the next few weeks.”
CAF and FIFA have been providing guidance through video conferences.
Once renovations are done, CAF will send inspectors to inspect the facility before it is certified to host international matches.
The Ministry is expected to call a press conference soon to advise on the time-lines.
“We would have liked to have the process a little bit quicker, but I am glad now that I have seen all the bucket seats are here, and now it’s just about installing.
“I do want to say a big thank you to FIFA and CAF because they’ve been very good in giving us guidance along the way.
“And the partnerships are really working very well. So, I am glad that those relationships are also back to where we would have liked them to have been from the beginning,” said Coventry.
Deputy Director of construction and maintenance in the Ministry of Local Government, Nicholas Mutengu, summarised the works being done at the National Sports.
“The scope includes the installation of the bucket seats; as you have seen, work is in progress at the moment.
“Another key area that we are working on are the turnstiles, which is the entrance gates to the stadium.
“And then the pitch itself, we are working on it as per the CAF requirement.
“We are working on the water supply to the stadium and the ablution facilities around. We are changing to a flash master system around the stadium.
“We are also changing the lights to LED, which consumes less energy, and also the installation of generators as a backup power system for the facility,” said Mutengu.
The multi-purpose facility, Zimbabwe’s biggest stadium, National Sports, was constructed by a Chinese company from October 1984 to April 1987.
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