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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
THE Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Andrew Langa and his senior staff have temporarily relocated from Harare to set up base in Bulawayo. The move is meant to provide the Minister with a hands on experience on the preparatory progress ahead of the official opening of the African Union Sport Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games next week Thursday.

President Mugabe, a key figure in the coming of the Games to Bulawayo together with the former Minister of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture, David Coltart, will officially open the Games.

Minister Langa said he would only be going back to Harare to attend Cabinet meetings.

“I will be here throughout the Games, only going to Harare for Cabinet meetings. I need to monitor the final stages of our preparatory work,” he said during a brief interview at the Bulawayo Swimming Pool yesterday.

Before coming to the swimming pool, Minister Langa, who was accompanied by the deputy chairperson of the local organising committee Nyararai Sibanda and the acting sports director in the ministry Tendai Tagara, visited White City Stadium where he had no kind words for the contractor.

Minister Langa felt the contractor was dragging his feet in completing the laying of the tartan track. He was shocked to discover that less than three metres of granule sprinkling on the track had been covered by 3PM yesterday.

“If we maintain this pace we might not meet the deadline. Rain should not be an excuse here, these are important Games and we don’t want to be embarrassed as a country. Infact we will never allow that,” he told the site engineer Douglas Kamedza.

To speed up the process, Minister Langa was told that another technician from South Africa had been flown into the country yesterday.

The Minister demanded that the contractor meets the December 2 deadline.

“Zimbabwe will not fail Comrade,” said Minister Langa.

At the swimming pool, the site manager told the Minister that had it not been for some pipe breakages, they would have filled the pool with water yesterday as they are well on course.

They now expect to fill the pool today and also test the water heating system.