City of Harare mayor Jacob Mafume has explained how his council will fund the renovation of Rufaro Stadium after Sakunda Holdings pulled out of the project.

Sakunda had planned to renovate the football venue after receiving a long-term lease contract from the City Council, who owns the stadium, in March.

The energy company withdrew from the project, citing the council’s reluctance to honour the agreement.

Mafume hit back at the investor, suggesting that the company wanted to trick them and benefit more from the deal.

The mayor vowed to use the council’s funds to renovate the football venue, instead.

But questions have been raised on how the council will manage to carry the renovations, having failed to maintain the stadium before.

Explaining the municipality’s plan to fund the renovation, Mafume said: “Harare City Council has 85 bars whose revenue was not getting into city coffers but going to individuals.

“We are taking those 85 bars back and getting the revenue back to the city.”

He continued: “We own, as a city, the biggest opaque beer brewery in Southern Africa which is being used by Chibuku.

“That brewery has been so successful that they have even decided to start putting flavours in opaque beer. It is owned by the city and we are getting zero cents from that brewery since 1995 when Bernard Chidzero went on an ESAP experiment.

“It is very successful and is making a lot of money. That money will be ring fenced to develop our stadia.

“This is not a train smash, not all is lost. There are many corporates in the city interested in Rufaro stadium.”