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Ray Bande Senior Reporter

RENOVATIONS at Sakubva Stadium are almost complete with the City of Mutare confident of completing the outstanding work by end of this month.

In an interview with Post Sport, City of Mutare spokesperson, Spren Mutiwi confirmed that the local authority is targeting the end of October to complete the renovations of the stadium.

“We are happy that we have managed to pull through with the meagre resources at our disposal. It was not an easy task given the limited cash-flow during the Covid-19 lockdown period.

“We are looking forward to completing the remaining tasks by the end of October. It is, however, important to note that even if football was to resume today, Sakubva Stadium is almost ready for that. We are only left with final touches to the facility,” said Mutiwi.

“We are now busy working on internal branding. Refurbishment of the VIP section is in full swing and very soon the facility will be ready.

“Tiling of the renovated changing room was completed, as well as the tunnel. It is a new Sakubva Stadium which is almost ready to host PSL matches.

“Over the past few months, Council has put hands on the deck to push the project and we are satisfied by the mountains that have been moved in as far as transforming Sakubva Stadium to meet the required standards is concerned.

“We are very confident that the facility now meets the set guidelines and that top-flight league soccer will return to the stadium,” said Mutiwi.

“We have covered almost all of the areas that Zifa requested us to cover. We have done the perimeter fence and completed the precast wall construction. We have also done the razor-wire on top of the pre-cast wall. We have also finished working on the changing rooms, doping rooms and referees’ rooms as well as the conference centre. Labelling of the respective rooms is ongoing,” he said.

Football fans in Manicaland Province now have something to look forward to when football action eventually resumes amid great expectations of Premiership action at Sakubva Stadium.

For close to half a decade, Sakubva Stadium — the only top-flight league match venue in Mutare — has not hosted Premiership matches due to the derelict state it found itself in.

But since the onset of the Covid-19 national lockdown in March, renovations have been going on at the stadium.

Mutare foodstuffs manufacturing and packaging concern — Mega Market — also chipped in to refurbish the VIP section.

Said Mutiwi: “We call upon more private players as well as the Government to chip in so that we make Sakubva Stadium a world class football match venue.”

With Manica Diamonds in the Castle Lager Premiership League and new boys, Tenax FC also getting promoted at the end of last season, Sakubva Stadium is expected to finally host the first ever Premiership derby for Manicaland pitting the two teams.

In the post independence era, Manicaland has never had two teams in the Premiership during the same season.

A recent visit to the facility revealed that the turf at Sakubva Stadium is in a much better shape.

However, drainage still needs to be worked on.