The renovation of the National Sports Stadium is far from being finished. So far, only $3.8 million has been spent out of the planned $25.4 million.
This was revealed by the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and lnvestment Promotion, Mthuli Ncube, on Wednesday.
He was answering questions from members of parliament who wanted to know how the renovation is going for the 60,000-seat stadium since the start of this year. Said Ncube:
The engagements with the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture indicated that to date, only US$6.75 million has been contracted.
Ncube said the US$6.75 million relates to infrastructural development including a water reticulation system, installation of security systems such as CCTV, access control equipment, as well a ticketing system. He added:
Out of this amount, the total value of work done and certified amounts to US$3.8 million which has since been paid for in full.
Ncube said that this year, the Local Government and Public Works Ministry proposed a total budget of $25.4 million for the full refurbishment of the National Sports Stadium.
Out of this amount, $17.5 million is planned for improving infrastructure, security, and access control. The remaining $7.9 million will go toward other projects like fencing, groundwork, and related tasks.
Ncube could not provide a timeline for when the funds would be available.
In his 2024 national budget, he only allocated $2.75 million for the stadium’s refurbishment.
The stadium is being refurbished to meet the standards set by CAF for hosting international matches.
Right now, the Zimbabwe national football team (the Warriors) and local teams like Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum are using sports facilities in countries like Rwanda, South Africa, and Botswana to host international matches.
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