SAKUNDA Holdings, whose multi-million dollar project to renovate Rufaro into a state-of-the-art stadium was rejected by the City of Harare, will now pour their investment into the refurbishment of the National Sports Stadium.
The company has partnered the Government in the exercise and a delegation is already in Europe looking at the models which can be adopted in transforming the state of the country’s biggest stadium.
The giant stadium is currently barred from hosting international fixtures as it does not tick all the boxes as per the CAF regulations, especially when it comes to the bucket seats and possible evacuation of fans in the event of an emergency.
The Warriors are expected to get their 2026 World Cup Qualifying campaign underway in November after Zimbabwe’s suspension from international football was lifted this week by FIFA.
Director of Sports and Recreation, Eugenia Chidhakwa, said the European Stadium tour is meant to help the delegation learn and equip themselves with knowledge related to modern stadiums.
Chidhakwa also said she is keen to learn the role of the government in maintaining the infrastructure to international standards, after the refurbishments.
“The main reason for this tour is for us to learn from the best on how we will be able to renovate various stadias in Zimbabwe and also how we can turn sport into a viable business entity,” said Chidhakwa.
“For the first three days that we have been in Seville, we have visited the Real Betis stadium and we also saw their high performance centre.
“They are also in the process of refurbishing their structures to expand their stadium and we have realised that the way they erected their bucket seats is also the same way we are planning to get ours done at the National Sports Stadium.”
Sakunda Holdings project manager and coordinator, Nqobile Magwizi, termed this trip an eye-opener which will help fill up some of the gaps.
He said it has always been the company’s desire to put resources into corporate social development programmes.
“From Sakunda Holdings’ perspective, it has always been our dream to help the development of the country’s sports image and we have seen how this can work.
“And, working closely with the Ministry of Sport, Recreation and Culture, we are very positive that, when we return to Zimbabwe, we will be able to put this experience into good examples to transform the lives of the people of Zimbabwe as we look ahead,” said Magwizi.
The delegation also includes Evelyn Mutsvangwa, Lovemore Muzhanye, Nicholas Mutangu, Chenjerai Bwerinofa and Sebastian Garikayi from the Sports Commission.
They are also expected to tour Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, the Olympic Stadium in Munich and Bayern Munich’s home ground, the Allianz Arena.