Construction of state-of-the-art two-storey changing rooms at Rufaro stadium in Zimbabwe has dropped pace due to COVID-19. According to Harare City Council Spokesperson Michael Chideme, work has been affected by the need for caution, in the raging Covid-19 storm, currently sweeping the country.
“As we speak, we would have covered a lot of ground as far as the construction of those changing rooms is concerned. But, we will have to do that later as we have had to downsize our workforce in the face of Covid-19. The country has seen a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases; and as a precaution, we have decided to scale down the number of workers at the ground,” he affirmed.
He further added that it is the Harare City Council’s wish to renovate the stadiums swiftly, as the facilities are not just recreational areas but their outlook is important, as far as the image of the city is concerned. But COVID-19 is real and the rate at which it is spreading the council has had to consider working with minimal staff on the ground.
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Dilapidated changing rooms at Rufaro stadium
The dilapidated changing rooms at Rufaro have continuously been condemned by CAF and ZIFA inspectors. The new changing rooms will be situated more than 50 metres from the pitch, inside the outside car park, behind the western grand stand.
The council received a huge boost from former City of Harare councillor, Beadle Musa Gwasira, and his colleagues, who donated building material worth US $400 000 towards the construction of Rufaro’s new changing rooms. Construction work had tentatively been scheduled to start soon after the building material was delivered.
But, exactly three weeks after delivery of the full consignment of building material including 10 000 bricks, 100 bags of cement, three-quarter stones, river and pit sand nothing has moved.
Renovations at Gwanzura have also been affected.
