Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE installation of bucket seats at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare is expected to be completed by the end of this year, Mutare City Council Town Clerk, Blessing Chafesuka, has said.
The development is part of the long-term renovations aimed at upgrading the multi-sports facility to meet minimum international standards.
In September last year, Chafesuka revealed that the council was forced to cancel the tender for the installation of bucket seats at Sakubva Stadium after receiving excessively high bids.
Chafesuka made this announcement during a media engagement aimed at clarifying Mutare City Council’s expenditure patterns to residents and ratepayers during the 2025 budget consultations.
“We had gone to tender to install bucket seats at Sakubva Stadium, but the bids which we received were just outrageous.
‘‘Imagine being charged US$1 million for the installation of just 320 bucket seats for that small VIP section.
‘‘We felt it was way too exorbitant, and we had no choice, but to cancel the tender and find an alternative way forward,” he said.
During the same engagement meeting, Chafesuka further revealed that the local authority may be forced to take the same route it took when they repaired the drainage system at the sports facility after receiving similar exorbitant bids for the job.
However, on Monday afternoon, while addressing a post-budget media engagement meeting at Civic Centre, Chafesuka said: “Coming to our projects for 2025, we want to consolidate what we started.
‘‘There are several projects yet to be completed. For example, we have the Murahwa Sewer Project, which is still a work in progress. We look forward to completing that project this year.
“We have Hobhouse Clinic, Beira Corridor servicing, Gimboki Primary, which needs more classroom blocks, Chikanga Primary, which we look forward to opening in the second term of 2025, and Bata Market in town.
‘‘We had problems with contractors who completed all the paperwork but failed to deliver on the ground, so we terminated the contract.
“The good thing is that all our projects have a guarantee from financial institutions. At this point, we are looking for a new contractor to complete the project.
‘‘Unfortunately, it took long because statutory steps must be followed when terminating a contract.
“We also look forward to procuring and installing bucket seats at Sakubva Stadium this year, should our tenders succeed.
‘‘We are currently at the tendering stage. Additionally, we aim to complete the Children’s Park this year before moving on to the Main Park.”
Chafesuka noted the support given to the local authority’s sports initiatives during the budget consultation process.
“You may recall that residents proposed introducing a sports levy during the budget process.
‘‘Although it received overwhelming support, the Ministry stated that the special rate cannot be used for recurrent expenditure.
“Coincidentally, Cabinet directed local authorities to budget for sporting infrastructure, allowing the special rate to be used for its improvement.
‘‘As a result, it can only be applied to capital expenditure. Fortunately, we had already consulted on this subject, making the process easier,” he said.
