HARARE – The Mayor of Harare Jacob Mafume has said there is “no bad blood” between the City of Harare and Sakunda Holdings, despite a failed agreement to renovate Rufaro Stadium two years ago.
In March 2022, Sakunda Holdings reached an agreement with the Harare City Council to lease and refurbish the iconic stadium.
A letter dated March 7, 2022, signed by then-Acting Mayor Engineer Moyo, granted Sakunda a long-term lease for the project.
“I am glad to advise that on the 28th of February 2022, Council granted Town Clerk authority to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the City of Harare with Sakunda Holdings on the proposal for a long lease for the refurbishment of Rufaro Stadium to the FIFA soccer stadia standards subject to expectations of the City,” read part of the letter written by Moyo addressed to Sakunda Holdings boss Kuda Tagwirei.
Under the agreement, Sakunda Holdings were supposed to do major renovations to bring Rufaro Stadium up to international standards.
The company even unveiled architectural designs showcasing a multimillion dollar transformation.
However, the deal collapsed as Sakunda withdrew, accusing the City of Harare of failing to uphold the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
“…we would like to hereby notify you of our immediate withdrawal from the partnership,” read part of the letter from Sakunda addressed to City of Harare.
Mafume refuted claims the city reneged on the agreement.
He said the council refused to proceed with the deal because Sakunda wanted a “30 or 40 year lease on a stadium simply because they put plastic chairs”.
During a press briefing at Harare Town House on Monday, where the City of Harare announced it has allocated 40 hectares of land in High Glen to the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) for new offices, Mafume was asked if the same issues would arise with ZIFA.
“We have no bad blood with Sakunda Holdings. The deal collapsed, but we are not enemies. They are our brothers.
“We have made this public, ZIFA will receive 40 hectares of land for their own use,” said Mafume.
