Story by Anashe Murombedzi, Sports Reporter
PARLIAMENT has expressed shock at the state of sports facilities such as the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex, which hosted the 1995 All Africa Games and several other international events.
The Olympic-sized swimming pool, practice pool, and children’s pool are in disrepair, and the electronic timing equipment and boiler house lie idle.
The complex, once a hub for swimming and water sports, is now deserted by swimmers who are forced to seek alternative facilities.
This neglect has not only affected the local swimming community, but also resulted in the country spending more money to travel with athletes to participate in international events.
The visit, led by the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Honourable Farai Jere, revealed a stark reality of the state of the complex, which hosted the 1995 All Africa Games.
“We are appalled by the state of the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex. We will sit in Parliament to push for the return of this facility to its former glory so that it can host international swimming events once again. It is unacceptable that we are spending millions of dollars to take our athletes abroad when we have an Olympic-sized facility that lacks maintenance,” Honourable Jere said.
The committee’s objective was to evaluate the implementation of government policies and programmes related to sports infrastructure and find improvement solutions.
The visit highlighted the need for urgent action to restore the complex to its former state.
As Zimbabwe strives to reach its goal of becoming an upper-middle-income society by 2030, the mantra of “leaving no one and no place behind,” rings loud when authorities come face to face with the reality of neglected sports facilities.
