The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture says the Griffin Saenda Indoor Sports Complex in Lilongwe has been closed after hosting the just-concluded Africa Netball Cup to pave way for thorough completion of construction works.
This is the second time the facility has been closed just after a major international event as the same happened three years ago when it hosted the 2022 Region VI Games.
A number of disciplines such as netball, basketball and volleyball, were expecting that the end of the continental netball event last weekend could mark the beginning of hosting domestic and more international competitions at the international standard facility.
But the Ministry’s spokesperson MacMillan Mwale yesterday said the facility’s construction has to be officially completed before it can be allowed to host games.
However, he said it will be difficult to give a specific time-frame for the completion of the 2500-capacity facility.
“The facility is still under construction. We recently opened it because there was no other option for the Africa Netball Cup venue. Now, we need to finalise the works, which include glazing and landscaping. There is also need to employ staff that should be taking care of the facility,” said Mwale.
“Mind you, the facility is also venue for other disciplines apart from netball and everything has to be in place before we can officially open it.”
He said the government will give guidance on when the works will be finalized but “it will be soon or later.”
Mwale said the facility initially needed K3 billion to be completed but now more funds will be needed due to rising cost of commodities.
Bravehearts Basketball Club coach Dominic Munyenyembe, whose club frequently participates in international tournaments, expressed disappointment with the closure of the sports complex, saying the development will heavily affect sports development in the country.
“For your information, we were keeping fingers crossed that after the recent international netball event, we could now have an international standard facility for our games in 2026,” he said.
“The Sports Complex is the only facility that can allow us to host big international games, thereby maximizing potential for forex and international exposure for the country’s basketball players. We cannot take the sport to a higher level without having an international standard facility.”
Munyenyembe said last year they campaigned to host the Basketball Africa Tournament qualifiers but everything went up in smoke due to completion delays of the Saenda Complex.
“The complex is our only hope for a great future and we plead with the government to fast-track the completion process,” he said.
