The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube recently in Tsholotsho
STAKEHOLDERS in Tsholotsho have redoubled their efforts of building a brand new stadium amid revelations that Lodzi Safari Hunters was leading efforts to put up the facility ahead of the commencement of the 2015 Premier Soccer League season in March. Lodzi Safari Hunters has donated various equipment to the Tsholotsho Rural District Council as they seek to speed up the completion of the facility.
These include 5 000 bricks that should kick-start the building of the stadium with toilets earmarked as being the first structures that will spring up at the facility.
The lawn will also be laid with an irrigation set of sprinklers, pipes and pumps to connect water to the ground also courtesy of Lodzi Safaris.
On Wednesday the chairman of the fund-raising committee, Sicelo Dube, said they had taken delivery of the bricks and cement and building the toilets was set to begin the following day as they intensified their intent to see PSL debutants Tsholotsho FC play their first home game at home.
On Wednesday workers from the rural district council led by their engineer Lawrence Nhanda were on site pegging the area where toilets would be erected.
Dube said people in the area were eager to ensure the completion of the stadium before the 2015 PSL season began but admitted they had a tall order since the PSL announced the first matches of this year would be played on the first weekend of March.
However, he said a meeting at the stadium site on Wednesday, had revealed a community eager to move mountains in order to meet the deadline?
“During the meeting it was agreed that we come up with focal structures that need to be in place by the time the season starts and these are toilets, the turf and VIP seating. We want to ensure that we have completed these by the end of February with the turnstiles and outside perimeter fence also in place. I am glad we have already secured building material for the four blocks of toilets and the equipment that will be used to grow and maintain the lawn,” said Dube.
He said they were informed that officials from the PSL would be heading to Tsholotsho for an inspection before the end of January and would want to find them having completed the construction of the toilets.
Dube said they were also planning to host two fund-raising dinners in Tsholotsho and in Bulawayo, within the next fortnight. He said Lodzi Hunters had also donated several prizes that will be won in a ticket raffle competition.
“Prizes that are going to be won during the raffle include a tractor, a borehole set and smart phones. We believe there are a lot of Tsholotsho people in Bulawayo who can attend the dinner dance and support the worthy cause, but we feel anyone with sport at heart will certainly come forward and chip in towards our cause. We also intend taking our begging bowl to all corners of Zimbabwe,” added Dube.
He said they were still looking for funds to erect the outside perimeter wall and they had come up with a cheaper option of putting up a fence and then construct the wall later.
Although there is excitement at having elite football coming to Tsholotsho, having the stadium ready by PSL kick-off time might prove a tall order, considering that the people of Tsholotsho are starting from scratch.
Last year’s PSL runners-up, ZPC Kariba were forced to play their home matches in Harare as they failed to renovate their home ground, Nyamhunga, in Kariba during the whole season.
But as they say, where there is a will there is always a way.
