Harare Council In Uproar Over Scottland FC's Proposed Lease For Rufaro Stadium
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume is facing opposition from councillors over his proposal for the City of Harare to enter into a lease agreement with Scottland Football Club, allowing the club to renovate Rufaro Stadium in Mbare.
During an Ordinary Council meeting at the Town House on Tuesday, councillors questioned why the council was considering another deal with Scottland FC, given that a previous arrangement with the same club at Mabvuku Ground had produced no results.
Mafume had informed the councillors that Scottland FC, owned by ZANU PF MP Pedzai “Scott” Sakupwanya, had committed to upgrading Rufaro Stadium to international standards by the end of the year. Said Mafume:
Scottland Football Club has pledged to further improve the state of Rufaro Stadium and will enter into a lease agreement with the City of Harare.
Scottland says together with their partners, they will make sure Rufaro Stadium is upgraded to international standards before the end of the year.
Other Premier League teams will continue using the stadium as before with the same rates applying contrary to misleading reports that Rufaro will be beyond the reach of other clubs who use it.
Councillors questioned why Scottland FC was given priority over other interested parties seeking the same deal.
The City of Harare had already loaned Scottland FC the Number 1 ground in Mabvuku with the expectation that the club would renovate the dilapidated facility. However, little progress has been made on the ground’s renovation.
Councillors also questioned why Scottland FC was being offered another deal, despite their failure to deliver on the Mabvuku project. Ward 16 councillor Denford Ngadziore said:
You leased Mabvuku ground to Scottland, but till today nothing has happened at the facility as we are yet to have a league match being played at the facility.
So I suggest that we should not give Rufaro stadium to the same partner which has failed a small number 1 ground in Mabvuku.
Councillor Costa Mhande suggested that Scottland FC should be leased one of the other dilapidated stadiums in Harare, rather than Rufaro Stadium. Said Mhande:
As for the Rufaro Stadium case, I advise that the council should come up with what it wants the stadium to be like, then advertise a tender for who can partner openly.
We can’t just wake up and have Scottland as the only partner, if that is the case, they can go and work on other stadiums like Dzivarasekwa and Gwanzura.
Why do they want to partner on this facility, which is almost complete?
In 2022, Sakunda Holdings approached the council with an offer to have a lease agreement on the facility, but Mafume rejected the offer.
More: NewZimbabwe.com
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