Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
CONTRACTORS have begun civil works on the site for the proposed Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium expected to host World Cup tournaments in two years.
The project, being undertaken by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), with the assistance of the Government and the International Cricket Council (ICC), is one of the three sport infrastructure ventures being implemented across the country at a cost of between US$5 million and US$10 million.
Two other pieces of land have been secured in Gweru and Mutare for the construction of separate stadiums to complement the landmark project that is taking place in Victoria Falls.
Expectations are that the 10 000-seater venue, also to be known as the Mosi-oa-Tunya Oval, will be ready by the time Zimbabwe co-host two major global cricket tournaments — the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.
ZC managing director Givemore Makoni told Zimpapers Sports Hub that contractors were on site, just under two months after President Mnangagwa laid the foundation stone for the new multi-purpose stadium.
“Civil works have begun; the water works, fencing and so forth. We are pretty excited work has already started and there is mobilisation that is going on in terms of getting equipment there,” he said.
“We are working with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, who are the main contractors, to ensure that the project starts. As we speak, I know that there has been borehole drilling to make sure that there is water at the ground. Fencing is in progress; earthworks are in progress. So, we have really started, and we are very excited.
“We want it ready by the 2026 and 2027 World Cups. We are hoping by late 2025, the pitch will be playable, and the other facilities will also be worked on such that we can meet our targets of 2026.”
The Mosi-oa-Tunya Oval is being built on 10 hectares of land in the resort town. It has been billed as a game changer for Zimbabwe as the country has been struggling to have sporting facilities fit for international events.
The problem is clearly evident in football, which ranks as the country’s major sport. Local football teams have been forced to play international matches on foreign soil due to sub-standard stadiums in the country.
Zimbabwe will co-host the Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2026 with Namibia, before jointly hosting the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup with Namibia and South Africa.
The Victoria Falls cricket stadium has been designed to be a multi-sport facility, which caters for other sporting disciplines like rugby, football, squash, hockey and netball.
“The drawings are still being worked on, but this stadium will also be ideal for pre-season football training, as well as for rugby pre-season training and internationals. There are other sports as well that can be housed there,” said Makoni.
The stadium construction in Victoria Falls will take place simultaneously with the projects in Mutare and Gweru. ZC signed a 99-year lease with the City of Gweru to develop a 10 446-hectare piece of land into a multi-purpose stadium, which houses spectator stands, a VIP pavilion, a media centre, corporate boxes and an accommodation facility.
Another multi-purpose arena has been earmarked for Mutare, where the association secured 19ha of land in the high-density suburb of Dangamvura. ZC have become pacesetters on infrastructure projects.
They intend to invest between US$5 million and US$10 million, mainly from grants from the ICC.
“Each facility has its own budget. Funding is coming from ZC through some of our reserves. We have set aside about US$5 million,” said Makoni.
Just like Takashinga Cricket Club in Harare, the Gweru and Dangamvura arenas will start off as first-class cricket fields, complete with wicket, outfield and changing rooms and will later be upgraded to full-fledged international stadiums.
“We have also started working on the projects in Gweru and Mutare. These two will be used for training and warm-up games during the World Cup,” he said.
“They will also host the local games and with time, they will graduate into full-fledged international venues. It’s the same concept we had with Takashinga. Even after the World Cup is over, these venues will continue to foster cricket development.”
