Construction work at Chahwanda Stadium in Kwekwe is moving as scheduled following the introduction of round-the-clock shifts to meet an ambitious January deadline.
The envisaged 10 000-seater facility, also known as the Heart Stadium main arena under construction in Kwekwe, is being funded by hometown businessman Shepherd Chahwanda and Harare clergyman Walter Magaya.
The project has since been rubber-stamped by the government, and on Saturday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts, and Culture Nicholas Moyo was left a satisfied lot after touring the venue.
"Let me first say that the 39th Cabinet took time to discuss sporting facilities in the country. It is the instruction from Cabinet that the Ministry of Public Works and Sport, Recreation, Arts, and Culture should ensure that they should create an environment that excites the private sector and local authorities to refurbish old and build new stadiums, said Moyo.
"As a ministry, the reason for coming here is to appreciate what is being done here by the private sector. The ministry will chip in and help with technical expertise.
"For us, this is an exciting project. My team was here some two weeks ago, and they just sent me saying there is some work, real work, being done, and I was shocked with the number of people on the ground and the type of facility that is being built here.
"The Ministry will now challenge itself so that we can visit even on a fortnightly basis. We are very happy that the developments here speak exactly to what the public, private, and local authorities partnerships say about ensuring that we improve sporting facilities in this country."
Magaya, whose Heart Group of Companies is the brains behind the construction of this facility, having already erected a 5 000-seater Heart Stadium in Waterfalls, Harare, early this year, said the Kwekwe venue will be ready by next month.
"We are highly motivated because, you see, if you have got a government that is always checking on you, asking you golden questions like, "How far are you? Are you having any problems? What do you need from us? Then you know you have the ideal environment to perform," said Magaya.
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"So we are in high spirits; everyone is excited, and significant progress has been made.
"We are highly motivated, and we have already started the 24-hour shifts so that we can move with speed to tie down our set January deadline."
Magaya said the facility was now at 12 percent, more than double what it was when Deputy Sports Minister Emily Jesaya visited exactly 13 days ago.
The stadium is being built in compliance with CAF standards, with a B-Arena simultaneously under construction.
