Mangwe RDC to build stadium
MANGWE Rural District Council is set to establish a stateof-the-art sporting facility at Ingwizi Growth Point in a bid to boost revenue collection and improve on its recreational services.
Speaking during a full council meeting, the local authority’s acting chief executive officer, Mr Mandla Donga said the construction process was set to start early next year.
“As a local authority we want to establish a state-of-the-art sporting facility at Ingwizi Growth Point. This facility will house stadia for various sporting disciplines such as soccer, netball, swimming and cricket among others.
“This project will help boost the local authority’s revenue collection as part of the proceeds will be directed towards service delivery. At the moment the local authority is struggling to maintain its operations because of poor cash inflows,” he said.
Mr Donga said the local authority was engaged in a process of securing an investor to fund the project.
He said the project was part of efforts to close the gap between urban and rural communities.
Mr Donga said the local authority was set to approach Kincard International College of Sports, Sciences and Research Technology which is an organisation that seeks to develop sporting facilities in various districts.
“There is a sporting organisation which is responsible for developing sporting facilities in various districts. This organisation is working will all local authorities in the country and they have approached us.
“We want to utilise this opportunity to submit our proposal for the stadium which is pegged for Ingwizi area. This project won’t only boost revenue collection but will also bring about economic development and address employment challenges,” he said.
Sports Science Institute of Zimbabwe Project director, Dr Nongerayi Makurumbidze said the sport development programme aimed at developing skills of athletes through provision of state of the art facilities.
He said his organisation which was trading under the name Kincard International College of Sorts Science and Research Technology was going to offer its services to all districts in the country.
“We have approached 45 local authorities so far but we are targeting all. We want to identify sporting facilities that are being underutilised and some of which are still under construction so that we can develop them and rehabilitate them.
“We are still compiling an inventory on the sporting facilities that we have in each district and from there we will work out our intervention strategy,” he said.
Dr Makurumbidze said once the sporting facilities were in motion they would help address employment challenges especially among youths.
The Association of Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe recently urged councils both urban and rural to start income generating projects to boost their revenue collection systems instead on solely relying on levies paid by rate payers.
Officials said all councils nationwide were facing a challenge in collecting rates but that did not have to hinder councils from rendering effective service delivery towards rate payers.