Design flaws

Contractors behind Bingu National Stadium,  Anhui Foreign Economic Construction (Group) Co, have owned up to architectural  design flaws in the roof of the stadium and have since promised to reconstruct it,  Nation on Sunday can reveal

The Luso TV Bus Ipite Bonanza second leg tie between Nyasa Big Bullets and Be Forward Wanderers that took place on January 2, exposed that the VIP section and the ‘covered’ stand was not fully sheltered from rains.

Some of the seats in the VIP and covered stand section were soaked in the rains exposing flaws in the architectural design.

Football fans in the affected stands had to rush to upper stands to avoid being soaked in the rains.

The VIP section stands at 50.5 metres, but most of the seats were drenched as the roof failed to cover all seats.

In an interview during the week, the stadium management said the contractors admitted to have erred in the way they erected the roof, which was supposed to shelter 90 percent of the stadium.

The stadium’s spokesperson Irene Zilanda -Mkoko said the contractor did not take into account the rain patterns in the country.

“What they told us is that in China the rains are not as windy as in Malawi and that is what the contractor did not take into account when assembling the roof.

“They have since owned up to their mistakes and will reconstruct the roof and government will not pay anything” said Zilanda-Mkoko.

She said, meanwhile, the contractor will erect a temporary cover during the game against Chinese club Guangzhou R&F on January 28.

On the traffic congestion witnessed during the Luso TV Bonanza, Zilanda-Mkoko said in short-term they will engage traffic police to regulate traffic.

“In the long-term, a solution lies in constructing a dual carriage, but that is the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works and I cannot speak on their behalf,” she said. n