BY FRANCIS MANDAZA
City Parking has partnered with City of Harare to renovate and upgrade Rufaro
Stadium, the Ceremonial Home of Football as it is affectionately called. The
stadium has much historic significance to a lot of Zimbabweans as they share great
yester year memories of iconic matches and football legends like George Shaya
who played there.
Part of the scope covered by City Parking intervention includes the perimeter wall
which shall be made of bricks and a palisade, B arena training ground, small shops,
a shopping complex, changing rooms, drainage, and a parking lot with a capacity
of 500 parking bays.
While the Rufaro project has drawn criticism from various quotas, soccer lovers
and the local authorities have shown immense support and appreciation. An iconic
statue of the great “Master Mind” George Shaya is expected to be unveiled outside
the stadium on commissioning and many soccer fans cannot wait.
The contractor is on the ground in pursuit of the tight project schedule and to
date, City Parking has drilled a borehole to complement water supplies at the
stadium and the perimeter wall is nearing completion while work on the car park
has already commenced.
The renovations at Rufaro stadium are expected to give a sigh of relief to football
authorities almost 5 years after the suspension of the stadium from local and
international matches following its condemnation as unfit for matches.
Being involved in this project is truly an exciting opportunity! However, City
Parking has had prior involvement in urban renewal initiatives. The organization
took on the responsibility of beautifying Julius Nyerere Way Island and has since
continued to maintain it, resulting in a significant improvement to the street’s
appearance. Several other companies have followed suit and shown good corporate
leadership by adopting nearby streets for upkeep. Corporations have the ability to
make meaningful contributions to their communities by providing services and
supporting social causes.