By Anesu Chakanetsa

THE iconic Rufaro Stadium re-opened to an explosive reception coupled with much fanfair a fortnight ago.
The nation was told the stadium had been undergoing renovations but is this really the case, especially for a place that is so important to our history?
Rufaro Stadium is not ordinary.
It has been home to many events and many memories that remain etched in the hearts and minds of many.
It was at this stadium that our inaugural independence celebrations took place as the colonial British Union Jack flag was pulled down for the very last time and replaced by our flag that now flies our aspirations across the country.
The iconic and all-time reggae great, the late Bob Marley, gave one of his greatest performances at Rufaro Stadium on this historic day for the country.
At the peak of his career, the Green Arrows band leader, Zexie Manatsa, had his white wedding at Rufaro Stadium.
On August 29 1979, an estimated crowd of 50 000 people attended the Manatsas’ nuptials.
It was at Rufaro Stadium that a strong 15 000 crowd marched their way to watch Zimbabwean boxing legend Proud Chinembiri (Kilimanjaro, the Man Mountain) power his way with an extraordinary performance to clinch the Africa Boxing Union All Africa title.
The stadium has been our very own theatre of dreams.
That is why its re-opening is important.
It means a lot of things to a lot of people.
Its closure was like a heavy wet blanket on sweet and beautiful memories.
The stadium, which holds so much history, was closed at the end of the 2016 soccer season to allow for the removal of the artificial turf and replacement with natural grass.
The artificial turf was deemed a danger to players.
A fortnight ago, Rufaro Stadium was re-opened for the remainder of the Premier Soccer League games (PSL) after it has been going through natural grass growth and maintenance.
The much hyped and euphonised FIFA-sponsored artificial turf was obliterated.
During the 1980 Independence Celebrations, the Zimbabwe national football team played Mozambique and Zambia to scoop the Independence Cup.
The stadium, from then on, became the ‘stadium of happiness’ — rufaro in Shona.
It was a stadium of happiness for the black majority in an oppressed Rhodesia.
It was constructed during the colonial era by the Rhodesian Government.
The stadium still stands and is still the theatre of dreams for Premier Soccer League clubs like Dynamos and Harare City.
The stadium is under the care of the City of Harare and has a carrying capacity of 35 000 people.
After the 2017 season had begun on a low note, with Rufaro Stadium in renovations, it came to Zimbabwe Football Association’s attention that over-use of other stadiums in Harare, like National Sports Stadium and Morris Depot Stadium, was straining turfs and other resources.
Gwanzura Stadium has also been side-lined.
The opening of Rufaro Stadium was long overdue.
The stadium has been closed on two occasions.
In 2008, the first half of the PSL season saw Dynamos and Gunners sharing the low capacity Gwanzura Stadium.
The stadium was closed for the planting of an artificial turf.
The stadium was re-opened on June 28 2008.
Initially, players struggled to control the ball on the new turf.
Already, there were complaints about the artificial turf being too artificial.
According to FIFA, the artificial turf brought much development in Zimbabwean soccer, and it was easier for players to pass the ball around on artificial turf than on natural grass.
It was a good innovation at the time.
Now its almost 10 years down the line and the artificial turf has been removed.
How has it contributed to Zimbabwe’s football development?
Last year, before ZIFA called for the removal of the turf, The Patriot had reported how the artificial turf had been neglected and become a danger to players and medical personnel who periodically ran on the field to attend to injured players.
FIFA, through its Goal Project Programme which had sponsored the turf, abandoned its maintenance, living it to further abuse by local authorities.
In fact, the artificial turf was not going to survive for long because the drainage system that was supposed to sustain it was poor.
The turf had become hard as stone and when it rained, it became soggy.
Indeed, it was a good idea to restore natural grass in the stadium to make it a real happiness arena.
Sadly, it seems the renovation story was a dummy.
Except for the grass, which smells sweet and fresh, all the other areas in the stadium are in a poor state.
The parking lot is still in shambles.
When one gets to the stadium, the struggle begins with touts asking for money to keep one’s vehicle safe.
Fans have to walk through dusty paths to the small entrance gates.
When big teams are playing, there are long queues.
When in queue, fans have to hold their breath, bad smells abound.
And when one finally gets into the tunnel, near the playing area, the roof has become a cosy home for spiders, its all filled with cobwebs.
Inside, women and men sell foodstuffs near where fans relieve themselves as ablution facilities are locked or in a bad state for fans.
On the terraces, fans have to keep looking at their chronometers for time updates, the electronic system is down.
The only better place in the stadium is the ‘VIP’ area where one has to fork out between US$5 and US$10 to gain entry.
When the whole nation heard that Rufaro Stadium was under renovation, ZIFA should have informed us that it was only the turf which was under renovation.