Back in February, council accepted a proposal by the energy
giant for a long-term lease which would have seen Rufaro Stadium refurbished
into a world-class facility but Harare mayor, Jacob Mafume said the energy
giant was seeking “a parasitic” deal.
In the proposal, Sakunda Holding expressed its vision to
drive community development in Mbare by establishing a Fifa-accredited stadium
for use by Dynamos and other local clubs.
The rehabilitation of Belgravia Sports Club and its
facilities for use by Dynamos for training purposes was also part of the deal.
But Sakunda have cited lack of cooperation from the City
Fathers. It also accused the council of making unfounded allegations that the
energy giant wanted to purchase the facility.
“Following our numerous requests to present to your office
our final feasibility study report and proposed designs for the refurbishment
of Rufaro Stadium, we write to express our gravest misgivings on the
unfortunate events and communications emanating from your office,” Sakunda said
in a letter signed by chief operations officer Mberikwazvo Chitambo to Harare
mayor, Jacob Mafume.
“We are shocked and disturbed by the untruthful and
malicious allegations that Sakunda intends to purchase Rufaro Stadium, which is
a public asset. Nothing could be further from the truth, and we believe you
know that.”
Chitambo said the allegations were unfounded and a
coordinated attempt to derail the agreement.
“We wish to place it on record that Sakunda did not have
any commercial interest in this project suffice to say that our participation
in the same was entirely philanthropic, for the public good. Consequently, we
would like to hereby notify you of our immediate withdrawal from this
partnership,” Chitambo said.
“Given the toxicity we have now seen in Council’s attitude,
and a lack of political will to implement the project on the part of Council,
Sakunda hereby withdraws its participation from the project. Notwithstanding
all project designs and plans will be donated to Council in the public
interest.”
Mafume said he did not understand the stance taken by
Sakunda.
“I have no idea what Sakunda is saying. What I understand
is that they wanted to get the stadium for 30 years for providing plastic
chairs (bucket seats) and when we were in the middle of negotiating that surely
a whole stadium cannot go just after someone donates plastic chairs. They then
went into a tantrum where they threw away the baby and the bath water,” Mafume
said.
“What is clear to us is that businesspeople have for long
had a parasitic relationship with the City of Harare. People come to Harare
with nothing and Harare makes them millionaires and when Harare needs
assistance they say give us land.
“We have not put Rufaro Stadium for sale and, therefore,
anyone who wants to assist, who wants naming rights to the stadium must enter
into a contract of naming rights that is recognisable like the ones we see
everywhere in the world, not where we end up losing the whole stadium simply
because we asked someone to provide plastic chairs and to assist us.”
Sakunda Holdings is the major sponsor for two of the
country’s biggest clubs — Dynamos and Highlanders.
The two parties entered into an MOU whose framework
required them to come up with a project feasibility study which would culminate
into a detailed technical agreement for the project.
A project management team made up of Sakunda and City of
Harare officials toured South Africa earlier in the year to visit stadiums for
research purposes as well as benchmarking of a stadium design.
Rufaro Stadium last hosted league matches during the 2019
season before it was red-flagged by the Zifa First Instance Board in 2020.
The stadium has since become an eyesore after renovations
by the city council stalled and its collapse has created problems for the seven
Harare-based teams in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League as there is only
one approved stadium in the capital, the National Sports Stadium. Newsday
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