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Simba to erect 15-storey edifice

SIMBA SC Chairman, Ismail Aden Rage

SIMBA SC has said it will construct a 15-storey building located at the club’s headquarters after demolishing the current structure which, according to the club’s constructor, has not met requirements. 

The club’s Chairman, Ismail Aden Rage, said they had earlier planned to continue construction on the existing building but, according to the constructor, the current building will not support more than eight-storey.  “We will not be able to add more than eight-storey on the current building and we have planned to add between 12 to 15-storey…this, therefore, is dangerous. We have to demolish the structure and build a completely new one,” said Rage. 

He said the plan for the new building has already been prepared and the club is about to enter contract with various banks with a view to realise the construction, which is scheduled to start from this month.  Meanwhile, Simba has announced the acquisition of a title deed for its plot located at Bunju on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, which has been earmarked for construction of the club’s modern stadium. 

Rage said the club received the title deed from the Minister for Lands and Human Settlement Development, Anna Tibaijuka, last week and it is now required to pay 85m/- to seal the ownership of the plot.  He said out of the 85m/-, the club has already paid 50m/-, adding that it will have cleared the debt before the given six-month deadline has expired.  Rage said out of the money dished out for payment of the title deed, Anna, who is among Simba fans, contributed 100,000/-. 

He said Simba was slow on providing information on the development of the stadium construction because of the absence of the title deed, adding that the club could not have started the project without the title deed.  Rage said the construction firm from Turkey, which had been contracted by Simba to undertake the project, refused to start working until it had seen the title deed.  “The Turkish were smart on the matter…they did not want to start the construction until they had seen the title deed…now that we already have it, the construction will start right away,” said Rage. 

Simba’s squad is currently in Zanzibar participating in the Mapinduzi Cup scheduled to start today, with the Msimbazi Street side missing the services of its prolific Ugandan striker, Emmanuel Okwi, who has yet to join the team.  The club’s vice-chairman, Godfrey Nyange ‘Kaburu’ said Okwi has not returned from Uganda, where he had gone for a two-week holiday, after the end of  last year’s CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup.  Kaburu said they have no any information on the player’s failure to join his team mates. Apart from Okwi, Kaburu said left back, Amir Maftah, has also not accompanied the rest of the team because he is nursing an injury.