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Sports Reporter
HARARE City Council have been working round the clock to have Rufaro ready for use again after ZIFA’s inspection team recommended that the venue was not yet ready to host Premiership matches.The ZIFA First Instance Body inspected the Mbare facility last month, but chose not to certify it after noticing a number of patches in the natural grass which has been planted.

Now the council, working with their contractor, are working on the areas which were condemned by FIB. Yesterday, Harare City Director of Housing Edmore Nhekairo toured the stadium which he said should be ready in two weeks.

“We are hoping in two weeks, the stadium should be open. The ZIFA inspection team cited that the stadium was not yet ready as it had patches. We have been working on them by putting black soil and irrigating them.

“We hope to invite the inspection team in the next ten days,” he said. Nhekairo revealed that there have been inquiries from Dynamos who eagerly wanted to know the state of the stadium and when it would be ready.

Work has also started on the bucket system in the VVIP Enclosure. “We are working on the buckets seats in the VIP, it reduces the seating capacity, but that is the way to go. We are not sure if we will be ready with the buckets system in the VIP by the time the stadium reopens, but that is our intention.’’ Council are also working on the scoreboard and camera stands for the television cameras.

Nhekairo added that once they complete renovations at Rufaro, they will move to Gwanzura. “Work has started at Gwanzura. We have killed the grass at Gwanzura, once the contractor is done here, we will start putting kikuyu grass there.’’