Johnson Progress

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume has announced that approximately US$2 million is needed to complete the ongoing renovations at Rufaro Stadium, the ceremonial home of football in Zimbabwe. Despite a recent lease deal with Scottland FC, the stadium still requires significant upgrades to meet international standards for hosting CAF-approved games.

According to Mafume, the renovations have already cost close to US$1 million. However, additional work is needed to install bucket seats, electronic turnstiles, and floodlights, among other things.

“We have to build B arena, expand car park, we need to put floodlights, electronic turnstiles, and fitting bucket seats in all sitting terraces,” Mafume explained.

The lease deal with Scottland FC is part of a new model being implemented by the council, which requires all teams using the stadium to contribute to its improvement and maintenance.

“So what we agreed on as council is that all teams using the facility must tell us what they can do for the improvement and maintenance of the stadium,” Mafume said.

The deal has been misinterpreted on social media, with some claiming that Scottland FC has been given full control of the stadium. However, Mafume clarified that the lease agreement is a formal arrangement that benefits both parties.

“Scottland is going to assist us with one or two needs for ongoing renovation, and these other teams must also do the same,” he said.

Rufaro Stadium is currently leased to four teams: Dynamos, Herentals, Caps United, and Scottland. The council is working to ensure that the lease agreements benefit both the teams and the stadium.

As Mafume noted, “What we have done is that this lease should be something which benefits both sides.”