Disappointing state of Levy Mwanawasa stadium

The Parliamentary Committee on Youth and Sport says there is an urgent need to put a permanent committee to look after the ultra-modern Levy Mwanawasa stadium in Ndola.

Chairperson Elijah Muchima said he is disappointed to see the infrastructure that gobbled a lot of tax payers’ money develop what he termed as ‘ massive’ cracks in a period of three years after it was handed over to the Zambian government by a Chinese Contractor.

Mr Muchima told ZANIS in Ndola that the stadium is faced with a lot of problems such as water leakages, cracks on the walls, low funding and shortages of water.

“I am very disappointed to see an infrastructure that was built using huge sums of tax payers’ money develop cracks like this, there is need to put up a committee that would look after this stadium jealously like their own, “he said.

Mr Muchima who is also Ikeleng’i area Member of Parliament wondered why an infrastructure with a lot of shops, conference rooms and two nice football pitches still has financial challenges.

He said there is need to make the structure profitable by renting out shops and inviting people with various occasions such as weddings and kitchen parties to hire the conference rooms that will generate revenue for the structure.

Meanwhile, stadium engineer, Steven Makunku said the stadium is 90 percent concrete adding that the said cracks are lateral cracks  that are caused by change in the weather pattern.

Mr Makunku, however, said there is need to introduce movement material in the areas where the structure is under pressure if future cracks are to be avoided.

“We need to start mending the infrastructure and introduce movement material in the areas where there is a lot of expansion and contractions,” he said.

And Levy Mwanawasa Stadium Director, Ng’ambi Mwifwa assured the six law makers that management at the Country’s second largest stadium are doing everything possible to ensure all the problems are sorted out.

Mr Mwifwa said so far two bore holes have been sunk adding that they are just waiting for Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company Limited to connect the bore holes in the stadium.

The Youth and Sport committee Chairperson and his entourage are on a two days fact finding mission on sport infrastructure in province.

He is accompanied by the committee members among them, Luanshya MP Steven Chungu, Milanzi MP Whiteson Banda, Lukulu West MP Misheck Mutelo, Katombola MP Derrick Livune, and Rodgers Mwaba for Mwansabombwe constituencies respectively.