Confederation to award President Banda
Royal & Ancient Golf of Scotland envoy and vice-president of AGC, Joe Malanji, said this on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Zone VI Golf Tournament at the Lilongwe Golf Club (LGC) on Monday evening.
“We are thankful to the government for allowing the Zone VI Golf to go ahead despite that the nation is in mourning. We find it befitting that we recognise the services of the new President,†said Malanji.
“We appreciate the consideration due to the setback it could have caused to other tournaments had the games failed. There is a certificate from the (AGC) for her and we plan to present it to her on Thursday during the prize giving ceremony,†added Malanji.
AGC and R&A have also praised the Lilongwe Golf Club (LGC) and the Golf Union of Malawi (GUoM) for meeting international standards on the golf course.
“Honestly, we thought they [LGC] would underscore, but we were surprised the golf is looking good and golfers sure are going to enjoy their golf,†said Malanji.
Uganda, Kenya, Namibia, Mauritius, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa are taking part in the Zone VI Golf, which Malawi is hosting for the fifth time.
The tournament will run for three days starting from Tuesday.
GUoM president James Chimwaza also had praise for the government.
“Very appreciative of the indulgence by government, we feel honoured to host the tournament despite the tragedy that befell us. It could have been costly if the event had been cancelled,†said Chimwaza.
During a flag-raising ceremony on Monday, LGC chairperson Williams Matambo described Malawi’s hosting of the event as an honour.
At the opening ceremony, Kamuzu Academy Band delighted visiting teams by playing their national anthems flawlessly.
