Minister of Sports Elvis Nkandu has assured the nation that the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka will be upgraded to acceptable standards once ongoing rehabilitation works are completed.
Nkandu told parliament that the efforts to revamp the 60,000-capacity sports facility have been progressing well and are on course for completion in the next three months.
“In the next two to three months, I think Heroes Stadium will be ready for international games,” the Minister said in response to a query by Kamfinsa MP Christopher Kang’ombe, who asked about the timeframe for the completion of ongoing rehabilitation works at the facility.
The minister further disclosed that the government had engaged contractors to replace and upgrade the playing surface at the stadium to international standards.
“Let me also indicate that we have engaged another contractor from South Africa, working together with a local contractor, to put in a new turf, a very nice one compared to [the one at] Manchester United’s stadium. So I think Heroes Stadium will not be the same,” Nkandu stated.
He also informed parliament that the Zambia State Insurance Company (ZSIC), the facility’s insurer, is in the process of hiring a contractor from China to repair part of the roof that had been blown off due to strong winds.
Furthermore, Nkandu revealed that rehabilitation works will also be extended to Ndola’s Levy Mwanawasa Stadium as part of the government’s program to revamp sports facilities in the country to acceptable standards.
“For us as the New Dawn administration, we are going to make sure that we rehabilitate not only Heroes Stadium but also Levy. So what we have done is that just after finishing Heroes, we will then shift our attention to Levy,” he said.
The National Heroes Stadium has not hosted any major international games since 2023 after it was declared unfit by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
