Makoni Country Club in dire straits
THE once iconic sports facility in Rusape — Makoni Country Club — is now a pale shadow of its former state as the once-acclaimed sports talent incubator lies in a deplorable condition which is a mockery to the club’s rich sporting heritage.
It is now over a decade since this once prestigious club was shut down and subsequently run down.
The facility’s well maintained and aesthetic views are now a thing of the past.
There is nothing left in place to suggest that the club used to be a hub for different sports personalities from across the country.
lnfrastructure such as the clubhouse is now dilapidated and requires significant renovation.
Fixtures and fittings are no longer in place as vandals have taken advantage of the absence of security details.
Playing fields require attention, especially golf courses, but the Makoni Country Club’s size was reduced when Rusape Town Council allocated residential stands on part of the course.
One will be forgiven for thinking that the place now belongs to a farming cooperative as most of the club’s land has been turned into maize fields.
Sand poachers have not helped the situation either, as the sports fields are now littered with open pits.
Makoni Country Club was a topnotch sports facility in this country. Luminary sports personalities and administrators honed their skills at this once prestigious sports club and went on to dazzle on the national and international arenas.
One such luminary is the legendary Kevin Curranwho dazzled English cricket in the 1980s, playing county cricket.
George “Super” Frangoulis, a rugby luminary produced by the club, went on to play for the national Under-19s before eventually breaking into the Sables.
He was manager of the Under-21s from 2004 to 2006.
The closure of the club is proving to be a huge cost to sports lovers in the town as they are now being forced to join clubs in neighbouring towns, while those who cannot afford are in a quandary.
There is general agreement in town that the club must and can still be revived to its former glory.
Before independence, the club was run on racial lines, dominated mainly by white commercial farmers.
When majority rule came into effect in 1980, doors were open to all races.
Rusape Town Council are the owners of the club’s land, while the previous members built and maintained the infrastructure back then.
Town Secretary Solomon Gabaza told Post Sport that his council is alive to the importance of the club.
He added that the local authority was keen to resuscitate the facility, although financial challenges were hampering progress.
Gabaza said Rusape Town Council is inviting private businesses to enter into private public partnerships with them to revive the club.
“Rusape Town Council are the owners of stand numbers 305, 307 and 308. The stands accommodate Makoni Country Club house, the sports field and a golf course.
“Our records date back as far as 1948. Initial lease for all the stands was for a period of 15 years from 1950, renewable for a further 10 years. All the facilities were being run by the Makoni Country Club.
“In 1989, they applied for a lease extension for a period of 99 years. The lease was, however, extended for 10 years, instead of 99 years.
“In 1997, the lease was extended for a period of 50 years, up to 2047. However, during the land reform programme, Makoni Country Club vacated the premises. From that time, the neglect of the premises and its general infrastructural decay began.
“Council has been manning the premises. In 2019, we resuscitated three holes on the golf course. We engaged a local funeral assurance company (name withheld) to assist us in refurbishing the remainder of the golf course, but the deal is yet to be finalised.
“Rusape Town Council will continue refurbishing the facility bit by bit. We will also engage potential suitors for either an outright lease or private public partnerships.
“It is our hope that the golf course and the clubhouse will be 50 percent functional by end of 2020 and 100 percent by end of 2021,” said Gabaza.
Fifty-four-year-old Frangoulis said the club can rise from the ashes.
“As sports personalities who were groomed by the club, we are bitter with its current state. If there is enough commitment from the council and the community, the club can still be rehabilitated. Everything is there, including underground water pipes.
“However, the resuscitation of the club cannot happen within a year because of the magnitude of the vandalism. I strongly discourage the culture of destroying our facilities.”
He went on to call for better management of sporting facilities.
“We need proper management by people who understand the importance of sport. Council must give the club back to the community.”