ZA community ground to upgrade to mini-stadium
Zomba City Council (ZCC) says plans are at an advanced stage to upgrade Zomba Community Centre ground to the status of a mini-stadium.
ZCC assistant director of engineering Ian Dolozi confirmed the development in an interview on Monday.
He said his office was waiting for an approval from the Office of Director of Public Procurement (ODPP) to start the tendering process in order to identify the would-be contractor.
“We have received the seal of approval in the unlimited category on Friday from the ODPP and we are proceeding with the rest of the processes. We expect the prospective contractor to complete the project in a period of four months starting from July this year,” Dolozi said without disclosing the actual value of the project.
He added that it is high time ZCC provided a conducive environment to its sports loving residents in a form of a good stadium with additional terraces, renovations of the changing rooms and the hall, among other developments.
One of the residents, Yusuf Msosa, hailed the development saying it has come at the right time.
“As the old capital of Malawi, we were supposed to have our own stadium years ago. Since its official opening in 1944, the Zomba Community ground is very old and needed wholesale upgrading,” he said.
Meanwhile, the bumpy ground would be a thing of the past as routine maintenance started soon after the close of 2016 football calendar on December 31.
Application of black soil and patching up of grass has already been done.
Last season, some teams complained of lack of changing rooms which made them conduct pep-talk in team buses or open air. n
