Rufaro Stadium parking bay opened to public

THE Harare City Council has opened its newly refurbished parking bay at Rufaro Stadium in Mbare to the public, with the local authority charging US50 cents to park a small private vehicle for an hour.

City Parking — the local authority’s vehicle parking management subsidiary — is currently finalising renovation of the perimeter wall around the car park.

The company’s public relations officer, Mr Francis Mandaza, said: “It is now open to the public at US$0,50 per hour and US$1 per hour for bigger trucks.

“The car park will be a relief to those who visit Mbare often because there was no parking around the market, and one would have to resort to other means as there would be vagrants harassing the motoring public.”

He said the company was finalising a business plan on the management of the facility to ensure they recover costs incurred during renovations.

“You will notice that at the perimeter wall, we have put up some small shops meant to raise money for wall and infrastructure maintenance,” he said.

Football fans attending matches at Rufaro Stadium will be asked to pay for using parking facilities at the stadium when the ground reopens.

“Definitely, on match days, fans will pay for parking.

“At one point, ZIFA (Zimbabwe Football Association) engaged City Parking with the intention to manage parking on match days.

“In the past, a lot would happen to fans’ cars during match days; some ended up leaving their cars home as a result,” added Mr Mandaza.

City Parking raked in over US$3 million from parking fees and penalties this year.

The company undertook an aggressive parking enforcement campaign in Harare’s central business district in June, targeting vehicles parked in bus lanes and designated loading zones. The blitz, however, ignited a public uproar.