Africa-Press – Mozambique. According to the Mozambican government, at least 40,000 people are expected at the historic Machava Stadium, the site where Mozambique’s independence was proclaimed on June 25, 1975.
At least 32 heads of state have confirmed their attendance at the ceremonies celebrating Mozambique’s 50th anniversary of independence at the historic Machava Stadium, the government has announced.
“What I can guarantee is that they have been invited and we have confirmation from 32 heads of state for this ceremony and we also have confirmation from some former heads of state,” government spokesman Inocêncio Impissa told journalists.
The President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, is among the confirmed heads of state, after parliament approved his trip to Mozambique’s independence celebrations on 25 June, with the Liberal Initiative voting against.
“What is being done in terms of mobilisation is to ensure that the largest possible number of Mozambicans who want to participate and witness this place can show up without any discrimination,” Inocêncio Impissa said, announcing that the stadium will open to the public at 5:00 a.m..
The government spokesperson said that stadium renovations were still ongoing, but that the venue would be ready 48 hours in advance of the event.
“Work [at the Machava Stadium] has been taking place at various levels and is currently in the finishing stages, and we believe that this venue will be fully available to welcome all Mozambicans within 48 hours,” Impissa stressed.
Civil engineer Samuel Muzime, advisor to the board of directors of the Ports and Railways of Mozambique (CFM), owner of the stadium on the outskirts of Maputo, who is coordinating the renovation operation, had previously admitted to Lusa that the cost of the stadium’s renovation was spiralling as a result of unforeseen interventions made necessary by the absence of maintenance works in half a century.
“Initial figures were around US$10 million dollars [€8.8 million], but in a 50-year project, we have been encountering surprises, we are already off the mark here, way off the mark, I think at least around 50%,” he noted.
Cerca de 40 mil pessoas poderão participar nas celebrações oficiais dos 50 anos da independência nacional no estádio da Machava.#machava #25dejunho #independencia #stvnoticias #gruposoico
Following the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of independence, the work will continue with the aim of obtaining approval by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the infrastructure to once again host matches of the Mozambican national football team, currently prevented from playing on national territory after the closure of the Zimpeto National Stadium in Maputo due to its poor condition.
The Machava Stadium is where the Clube Ferroviário de Maputo, one of the several ‘railway’ clubs in the country supported by CFM, usually plays football. However, the multipurpose venue has not been used for four years due to its poor condition, and this is the first major intervention in over 50 years.
With an official capacity for 45,000 people, construction began in 1963 on a plot of land measuring over 30 hectares in Matola. It was named Estádio Salazar, and was inaugurated in 1968 with an historic match between the Portuguese and Brazilian national football teams.
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