Mutharika to fulfil new stadium pledge
Malawi President Peter Mutharika says he will fulfil the pledge to construct a new stadium in the country’s commercial hub, Blantyre.
The President, through his press secretary Frederick Ndala, was responding to a questionnaire on whether the pledge still stands.
Mutharika made the pledge during one of the rallies he addressed at Njamba Freedom Park in Blantyre prior to the May 20 Tripartite Elections.
For the past couple of years, there have been concerns over the state of the giant Kamuzu Stadium which has outlived its lifespan leading to cracks in most of the stand. The situation forced former Youth and Sports minister Enoch Chihana to close the facility at some point two years ago.
“His Excellency Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika remains committed to fulfilling his campaign promises and his vision as outlined in the DPP manifesto.
“Construction of a new stadium in Blantyre is among some of his priorities on development,” reads part of the response from Ndala.
He said although this year’s budget does not have an allocation for a new stadium, construction of the new stadium will be done within the next five years.
“There are a number of projects which government is looking for financiers and the new stadium is one of them.
“Also bear in mind that this government has only been in office for three months; once consultations/discussions are finalised and a financier is identified, the public will be informed accordingly,” said Ndala.
Big Bullets general secretary Harold Fote said construction of a new stadium in Blantyre is a necessity.
“We are losing out on revenue at Kamuzu Stadium because of the cordoned-off areas as the capacity was significantly reduced.
“A good example was our Carlsberg Cup final match when the stadium was closed because every available space was filled as a result many people failed to watch the game,” said Fote.
He also said some fans even invaded the cordoned-off areas which was a risk to their lives.
Fote, therefore, said the President’s assurance is refreshing.
“Hopefully, the new stadium will be constructed soon,” he said.
Mighty Wanderers chairperson George Chamangwana said already Blantyre is experiencing shortage of standard venues.
“Apart from Kamuzu Stadium, there is no other standard venue in Blantyre, a situation that forces tournament organisers to arrange matches outside the city which is costly as we have to foot extra travel expenses.
“In any case, there is no modern stadium in Blantyre compared to Lilongwe where they have Silver, Civo and Nankhaka stadiums besides the state-of-the-art stadium currently under construction. So, there is indeed an urgent need for a new stadium,” said Chamangwana.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu said Blantyre also needs a state-of-the-art stadium to balance up the situation with the capital.
“There is a fear that with the stadium’s continued deteriorating state, very soon it might be banned from hosting high-profile matches.
“And due to the damage that is naturally and inevitably occurring as a result of normal wear or aging, it is not being filled to capacity and both the fans and the teams are losing out because there have been times when teams from Blantyre have been forced to play outside their base,” said the FAM president.
He added: “It is, therefore, pleasing that construction of a new stadium is among the President’s priorities.”
Apart from Mutharika, Peoples Party (PP) and United Democratic Front (UDF) presidential candidates Joyce Banda and Atupele Muluzi respectively also pledged to construct a new stadium in Blantyre if voted into power.
Former president the late Bingu wa Mutharika changed the site of the stadium from Lilongwe to Blantyre, saying the capital had benefited from many Chinese-funded projects, but upon Banda’s ascendancy to power, she reversed the decision to the initial site.
