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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) nursery department workers have returned on site to revamp the Highlanders Club House grounds after the end of a long strike by municipal employees.

The strike adversely affected progress in revamping the club house grounds leaving them with overgrown grass and weeds due to the heavy rains that have been pounding the city.

A Chronicle Sport crew yesterday witnessed council workers busy cutting the overgrown grass from the middle ground.

Before the strike, the contractors had planted lawn on half of the centre field.

The third ground close to Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street has also been ploughed in preparation for planting lawn.

The lawn had been planted in the first ground close to Fife Street, but it’s now covered by overgrown grass and weeds.

However, the council workers allayed fears that the ground has be reworked.

“When we are done with planting lawn on the third field next week, we’ll go back to the first ground. We are almost done with plucking out weeds on the centre field. What is happening is that while some are working on field three, others will be busy with the centre field.

“As for ground one, of course it looks bushy, but once we go there you’ll see progress. The challenge we have been facing this week has been persistent rains which made it difficult to work, but today we covered much ground. We only started working here on Monday and there is already progress,” said one of the workers.

Highlanders paid council the full amount for restoration of the club house training grounds.

The project started in February 2020, but has been stalled twice by the first Covid-19 lockdown last year and when the water pump broke down later in the year. The water pump was repaired in September and work resumed, but it was further affected by tightening of the lockdown at the beginning of January and subsequent industrial action by council workers.

After the project completion, one field will be reserved for the first team use, while the junior teams will use the other two fields for training sessions and home games. — @ZililoR