The construction works at Maphisa stadium are nearing completion, with authorities saying progress has reached around 88 percent, in a bid to have the facility ready for the Independence Day celebrations on April 18, 2026.
Briefing journalists during a media tour held by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works on Wednesday, Engineer Sean Mukwamba noted that commendable progress had been done to have the venue ready in record time.
He highlighted that all the work had been done from scratch, from clearing a bushy area, transforming it into a multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of at least 5 000 people on the terraces.
“We started all the works in September 2025. Everything was done from scratch, we cleared the whole space and then we started with the excavations,” Eng Mukwamba said.
“This area is hilly, so we did bulk excavations to ensure that the ground remained level and could be usable for football matches.”
He said the outstanding work should be completed by weekend, including demobilisation of the site to pave way for pitching tents and other installations ahead of the celebrations’ day.
The facility has three public ablution blocks, two VIP toilets, and fully serviced changing rooms for teams, enabling it to host high volume events.
Eng Mukwamba said to ensure that there will be no problems of flooding during rainy seasons, they installed a well-built drainage system.
“We installed a subsurface drainage system with perforated pipes at five-metre intervals to carry water away from the pitch into external drains,” he said.
“We will also have a V-drain to capture surface runoff and direct it away from the playing area.”
Last week the construction works temporarily came to a halt after the workers on the ground downed their tools demanding payment of their salaries.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Matabeleland South, Albert Nguluvhe, confirmed the development. He said the situation was quickly resolved, enabling the critical works to be completed in time.