FAZ president Andrew Kamanga undertook a fact-finding mission at the FIFA funded Kaole Stadium in Luapula Province.
The FAZ boss noted that the handover had fallen behind schedule following the incessant load shedding that had left water scarcely available. Kamanga was accompanied by the FAZ provincial Chairman Mweemba Mujala and other provincial executive members.
The Kaole Stadium is one of four FIFA-funded Stadia projects in the country with David Kaunda and Independence in Solwezi already handed over to the communities.
“First of all, we have delayed, but we are happy with the progress made. If you look at the physical works, you will see that the sitting area initially had nine has been increased to 28. The grandstand area and wall fence are done. The challenge was with water, due to load shedding not helping. The moment we get the grass fully sorted out, we should have the stadium ready for handover,” Kamanga said.
“The only thing remaining is the grass. We are happy that with adequate rains, the grass will grow fast, but we are also looking at getting the borehole and the maintenance guys to start the weeding process. We will review the progress in the next four weeks. The patches that remain need to be sorted out.”
He urged the local leadership to continue monitoring the progress and ensure the contractor delivers the remaining work. Provincial chairman Mweemba Mujala expressed confidence that the stadium would be handed over to the community in the first quarter of 2025.
“Everything is here. We are just waiting for the grass to grow. If all goes to plan, we expect the stadium to be handed over in the first quarter of 2025. We are appealing to the community not to vandalize the facility once completed. It is the responsibility of everyone in the province to safeguard this stadium,” Mujala said.
