Five months after refurbishment work began, structural repairs at Sam Nujoma Stadium are steadily advancing, with project engineers confident the current phase will be completed by October this year.
Project manager and engineer with the City of Windhoek, Puumue Kustaa, said the works, which started in early October last year, are scheduled to run for a full year, focusing primarily on restoring the stadium's structural integrity rather than cosmetic upgrades.
"So, hopefully by the beginning of October this year, we will be done with the structural repairs, as I should call it, in this project," he explained.
Kustaa outlined four major technical priorities guiding the refurbishment. The first involves repairing foundations and surface beds beneath the grandstand. The second and third focus on lifting and correctly reinstalling precast elements in the open stands to ensure stability and compliance. The fourth component is recoating the stadium roof to improve durability and weather resistance.
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The current phase has a budget of about N$13 million and forms part of a broader rehabilitation programme agreed in November, when councillors approved a 50/50 cost-sharing arrangement with the Namibia Football Association for structural upgrades estimated at roughly N$19.9 million.
The municipality has already allocated its share and officially handed over the site to the contractor, New Success Investment, on 2 October 2025.
Phase one targets critical structural elements identified as priorities under recommendations from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA. Although the current work does not address aesthetic improvements, it is intended to address safety and compliance shortcomings so that subsequent phases can proceed.
Municipal officials previously indicated that a full refurbishment programme, potentially costing up to N$60 million, will ultimately be required to restore the facility to a level suitable for international fixtures and major domestic events. Additional funding will still be necessary after the current repairs to fully meet CAF standards.
The stadium was completed and inaugurated in 2005, officially opened in August that year by Namibia's founding president, the late Sam Nujoma. The construction cost about N$64 million, funded by taxpayers under the authority of the City of Windhoek, and the venue has a seating capacity of approximately 10 300.
It was designed and built by Bührmann and Partners Consulting Engineers, a local engineering company responsible for the facility's structural development.
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In 2021, CAF, acting within international football regulatory frameworks, ruled the stadium unfit to host international matches after inspections found missing technical infrastructure and structural deficiencies that rendered it below the required standards. As a result, Namibia was forced to stage home matches abroad, and the football association was fined approximately US$ 6,000 for non-compliance.
Since that decision, the venue has not hosted international fixtures, prompting the current renovation drive. Late last year, the City of Windhoek and the Namibia Football Association formally endorsed a phased upgrade plan aimed at restoring the stadium's eligibility for international competition once all compliance requirements are satisfied.
