The turf at Barbourfields Stadium, home to football giants Highlanders, is in a poor state due to the breakdown of the Thorngrove pipeline which normally waters the ground.
Report by Fortune Moyo The development may see only main matches being played at the stadium as a measure to cut down on usage of the venue.
The borehole, drilled at the stadium for the 2009 Cosafa Senior Men Challenge Cup, has not been functioning.
Bulawayo City Council (BCC), the custodians of the facility, and the committee on Future Water Supplies and Water Action have expressed concern over the state of the turf. “We are concerned about the state of the lawn at Barbourfields Stadium and we have also observed that reclaimed water from Thorngrove Sewerage Treatment Plant was no longer used to water the ground,” the latest council report reads.
Bulawayo mayor Thaba Moyo suggested the need to limit the number of curtain raisers to the main matches at the stadium.
“Due to the circumstances, I feel it is a noble idea to limit curtain raiser matches in order to maintain the ground,” he said in the report.
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BCC director of engineering services Simela Dube said the local authority was facing financial challenges as they sought to repair the Thorngrove pipeline.
“The local authority is currently facing some financial challenges and funds are needed to refurbish the pipeline. The water table is very low, which has resulted in the borehole (at the stadium) not producing sufficient water.
“However, the issue will be closely monitored,” Dube said.
The facility is one of the municipality’s cash cows as the local authority derives 20% of gate-takings per match.
The city is currently facing a serious water shortage, which has resulted in the local authority introducing a stringent 72-hour water-shedding programme.
In 2010, Barbourfields was indefinitely closed by the city council following incidents of violence that rocked the stadium during a league match between Highlanders and Dynamos, which left property that included the perimeter fence at the Soweto end damaged.
The fence was repaired at a cost of $600 and Highlanders footed the bill after engaging BCC and volunteering to pay for the damages caused by their rowdy supporters.