Luso TV bonanza exposes architectural design flaws
Some fans who sat in the VIP enclosure and Covered Stands of the Bingu National Stadium were soaked in the rains during the Luso TV Bus Ipite Bonanza second leg on Monday, exposing flaws in architectural design.
The fans in the front seats had to rush to the upper areas to avoid being soaked.
Most of the seats in the VIP stands are not sheltered by the canopy.
Football fans had to scramble for seats in the upper stands to avoid being drenched in the rains.
“From my experience today, I think there are great flaws in the design of the facility. It is not windy but the VIP and covered seats are getting soaked. This is an embarrassment,” said a visibly disappointed fan Limbikani Chasale.
Government has since said it is waiting for reports on the match, which stakeholders will submit on Friday to determine the way forward.
“As of now I cannot say much on the facility and on what transpired that day. We are having a meeting Friday with all stakeholders where they will submit reports. Only after that can we have an opinion and determine the way forward,” said director of sports in the Ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Jameson Ndalama.
The bonanza also exposed that the stadium has no back up power after media personnel from Zodiak Broadcasting Station and Nation Publications Limited as well as officials from Football Association of Malawi (FAM) were stuck in an elevator for close to 15 minutes after electricity failure.
“This is very bad. We were about to die, if it were not for a Zodiak TV cameraman. We tried the alarm system, but no one came to the rescue. I have never felt this frightened before,” said Central Region Football Association treasurer Pyson Likagwa who was among those trapped in the elevator. n
